Death Penalty
by BG-57
Summary: The Meteor has been stopped but has Vincent become Cloud's enemy? Some things are worth any price. Rated R for some gore
1. Midgar

Death Penalty

A Final Fantasy VII Fanfiction

By BG-57

Chapter 1 

            The moon shone uneasily on the gargantuan city, as if it was ashamed of what it saw.  Midgar was laid out like a massive wheel, radial spokes dividing it into eight wedge shaped plates.  Each plate carried an entire neighborhood, with the exception of the Sector 7 plate, which rested in ruins on top of the slums beneath.  Each radial spoke was crowned with an infernal smokestack the size of a skyscraper.  The main hub of the wheel was formed by a tall oblong spire resting on an oval base.  Smaller cylindrical spires flanked the main edifice.  The Shinra company headquarters had been built as a monument for the ages.  Now it lay in ruins, the top stories simply blasted away.  What was left looked like the stump of a rotten tooth.  A man stood on a hill overlooking the vast wasted plains that Midgar dominated and moodily contemplated the scene below.  A light breeze lightly ruffled the long yellow spikes that protruded from his scalp.  His cobalt blue eyes seemed to almost glow in the moonlight.  He was dressed in a black jacket over a dark blue shirt, and matching baggy pants.  A long flat bundle nearly as long as he was tall and wrapped in cloth was slung from his right shoulder. 

            "Wishing you were somewhere else Cloud?" asked the woman standing beside him.  Cloud Strife offered her a half hearted smile as a way of an apology.    

            "Anywhere but here Tifa," he said with a deep sigh. 

            Tifa Lockheart shared his sentiment.  She brushed a lock of long brown hair behind her ear as her crimson eyes restlessly scanned the shimmering lights below.  She wore a black leather jacket over a form fitting white shirt and black miniskirt.  Red gloves decorated her hands. 

            "The city looks a lot darker than I remember it," she mused eventually.  He nodded thoughtfully. 

            "Without the mako reactors they can only manage one eighth of the output," he said.  She smirked and tugged at his elbow. 

            "C'mon, let's go," she prompted.  They walked over the crest of the hill where an enormously overbuilt motorcycle sat quietly parked.  The dark blue metallic body of the bike was hunched over a gun metal frame.  Large intake vents were hung along the yellow eye of a headlight and the handlebars looked like extensions of the struts on the front wheel.  Cloud climbed over the seat and revved the engine. Tifa climbed onto the back and wrapped her arms around his waist.  He slammed the heel of his boot into the kickstand and roared off down the hill, trailing a huge billowing trail of dust.  Tifa glanced at the withered remains of plants that dotted the bleak landscape on the plains.  She leaned her chin on Cloud's shoulder and saw the outer edges of the city looming closer.  Soon they were in the shadow of the outer ring.  A huge set of double doors loomed straight ahead.  Cloud leaned forward and plowed through the doors.  Inside was what resembled an indoor junkyard.  Mounds of scrap piled haphazardly along a dirt road.  They nearly spun out as they veered to avoid some people picking over the rusting hulk of a car. 

            "Watch where you're going you maniac!" yelled one of the scavengers at the departing red tail light.  

            Abruptly they careened to a halt in front of a large stone edifice.  The Sector 5 cathedral looked completely unchanged.  In the moonlight it looked even more dark and mysterious to Cloud.  It was built in the gothic style, with high walls made of dark gray bricks, two tiers of stained glass windows, and a sharply peaked roof that was still in need of repair.  Cloud killed the engine and stared up the stairs at the large oaken doors, his face a mask of sorrow.  Tifa sensed his unhappiness. 

            "I'm here," she said squeezing his shoulder.  Cloud smiled bravely to her.  They got off the bike and walked together through the doors.  The interior of the cathedral was shrouded in darkness.  The only light came through the holes in the rafters that illuminated a carefully tended garden of white flowers.  Or maybe they were yellow.  It was hard to tell in the darkness.  Cloud walked down the main aisle and stared at the flower bed incredulously. 

            "Who's been taking care of it?" he wondered aloud. 

            "Elmyra," said a weary voice out of the darkness to their left.  Cloud and Tifa whirled to see the flare of a match briefly illuminate the cigarette dangling from the lips of a man lounging in one of the middle pews.  His hair was red and spiky, his eyes green and poisonous.  His nearly skeletal frame was adorned by a dark blue suit with an undone collar, a pair of dark sunglasses decorating his forehead. 

            "Reno," said Cloud gripping the hilt of his sword reflexively.  Tifa clenched her hands into fists. 

            "Nice to see ya too," intoned Reno as he took a deep drag, "Don't worry, I'll make this worth your while." 

            "Why should we believe anything you have to say?" asked Tifa as she put her hands on her hips. 

            "You can't afford not too," replied Reno leisurely as he threw the burnt out match across the room.  It landed near the altar.  He smirked as he blew smoke at them.  Cloud took a threatening step closer. 

            "So tell us already," demanded Cloud irritably.  He hated being jerked around, especially by this Turk.  Reno stood and ambled over to the flowerbed.  He patted the soil down a bit with the tip of his shoe. 

            "Things have really gone downhill without President Rufus," he admitted bitterly, "And our new President is too damn weak."

            "What does that have to do with us?" inquired Tifa.  Reno flicked ash off the cigarette angrily. 

            "Shinra's up to its old tricks again," he said, "And the President is either too blind or too scared to stop it." 

            "What do you mean?" said Cloud as he felt his palms begin to sweat. 

            "They've rebuilt Hojo's old lab," said Reno, "Hired a bunch of new researchers."

            "Why?" asked Tifa in growing concern.  Reno shrugged. 

            "How the hell should I know?" he said with a dry chuckle, "I'm just security." 

            "How long has this been going on?" asked Cloud. 

            "Ten…eleven months maybe," replied Reno, "I doubt it's for the good of humanity though." 

            "Wait, why are you telling us this?" asked Tifa, her brow furrowed in puzzlement. 

            "How much do you want?" asked Cloud with a sigh. 

            Reno walked up to Cloud so they were nearly nose to nose.  Reno flipped a single Gil piece that landed near Cloud's foot.  He chuckled as he dropped his cigarette on the wooden floor and ground it out under his heel.  Then he began to walk toward the door.  Cloud grasped him by the shoulder roughly and spun him around. 

            "What's that supposed to mean?" he snapped.  Reno began to laugh.  It was an ugly raspy laugh.

             "I don't want your money Strife," said Reno with a sneer, "But seeing you take out your friends…that I'd pay to see."  Tifa placed a hand on Cloud's arm. 

            "He's not worth it," she said distastefully.  He slowly released Reno, who smoothed out the wrinkles in his jacket and strolled out through the doors into the night. 

            The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon by the time they pulled up to the main entrance in front of Shinra headquarters.  Cloud felt strange just casually parking and walking up the main steps.  They stopped when they felt a shadow pass over them.  They looked up to see a large airship flying overhead.  It had a long gray body with rocket engines along the back.  A scantily clad woman was painted along the side, near the nose.  Tifa shielded her eyes with a hand. 

            "It looks like the _Highwind_," said Cloud appraisingly. 

            "It'll be nice to see Cid again," said Tifa cheerfully. 

The ship docked with a newly built flight deck that projected out of the side of the building, about halfway up.  They walked through the large glass doors. 

A man stood in a brightly lit bathroom with white tiles decorating the walls.  A row of bathroom stalls lined one wall.  He turned on the tap carefully and looked up as he washed his hands with cold water.  The man in the mirror gazed back at him with a haunted expression.  He wore a starched white shirt along with dark pants.  A silver revolver was slung from a leather holster on his belt.  He long raven hair was tied back except for a few unruly locks that spilled over his forehead.  His rust colored eyes glowed faintly and a bronze claw protruded from the cuff of his left shirtsleeve. 

All in all a good preview of what hell would be like, thought Vincent Valentine.  As he put in his tie, he wondered how many years had passed since he had worn this suit.  Lucrecria had always fussed with his tie; he could never quite tie it to her standards.  But she was the same way about everything.  He grasped the lip of the sink with his hands.  Could he really go through with this?  He knew that he had to save her no matter the cost.  He also knew it could destroy him.  There was a polite rapping on the door. 

"Boss?" called a woman's voice. 

"Yes Elena?" he asked more calmly than he felt. 

"The President wants you to report to the main lobby immediately," said Elena. 

"Tell him I'll be right there," he replied. 

Vincent waited until her footsteps faded away, then put on a dark jacket and buttoned it up.  As he left the bathroom, chips of porcelain began to fall out of the cracks in the rim of the sink.   He walked through a set of double doors into an elevator built in a large glass tube.  He pressed the button marked 'L' and the elevator descended into the main lobby.  He saw Cloud leaning across the front desk speaking to a receptionist.  Tifa stood next to him.    

            "We'd like to see the President," said Cloud quietly. 

            "Certainly Sir," said the receptionist chirpily, "Do you have an appointment?" 

            "I'll handle these guests Nadine," said Vincent in a whisper. 

            "Sure thing Mister Valentine," said Nadine returning her attention to the now ringing phone. 

            Vincent permitted himself the faintest of smiles as Cloud and Tifa openly gawked at his attire. 

            "I thought I'd never live to see this day," said Tifa. 

            "Why?" inquired Vincent. 

            "Working for the Turks again," explained Cloud. 

            "I have nowhere else to go," replied Vincent with resignation, "I'll see you to the 65th floor." 

            "We want to see the President," said Cloud.  Vincent gestured to the elevators and they followed him.  He pushed the button and the doors opened.  Once they were all inside, he removed a key card and inserted in a slot under the control panel.  Suddenly all the buttons lit up.  He pressed the one marked '65'. 

            "The President's office has been moved to the 65th floor," explained Vincent his face expressionless, "The floors above are too badly damaged."  They ascended the rest of the way in silence.  Vincent looked at their faces surreptitiously as the guilt began gnawing away on his insides.  He knew this was inevitable, but he had been hoping it could have been avoided somehow.   Cloud heard a strange clacking sound and looked down to see the claws on Vincent's left hand tapping a staccato rhythm against the metal wall.  He exchanged a worried glance with Tifa.  The doors opened with a pleasant chime and they stepped out into a vast red carpeted hallway with wooden paneling on the walls.  At one end of the hallway was a pair of double doors with a man standing outside.  He was tall and muscular, his head completely hairless except for some wispy hair on his chin.  Dark glasses covered his eyes and he was dressed in a similar suit to Vincent. 

            "Hi Boss," he said casually, "Long time no see you two." 

            "Hey there Rude," said Tifa hopefully, "How are you?" 

            "Not bad," said the big man, "But the job's never done." 

            "We're here to see the President," explained Vincent.  Rude nodded and pulled out a small radio and spoke softly into it.  A moment later the doors automatically swung inward. 

            "Don't start any trouble," advised Rude as they walked through the doors into the room beyond.  Cloud had frankly expected the office to be vast and spacious, but it was cramped and narrow, every horizontal surface covered with stacks of papers, books and documents.  They saw a large swivel chair facing toward the window behind a vast mahogany desk.  Sunlight streamed in illuminating everything in shades of flame. 

            "Make yourselves at home," said a soft tentative voice.  Cloud walked to the window and saw a man in a blue suit slumped in the chair looking at the tall buildings lining the long avenues far below.  His dark hair was slicked back and a neatly trimmed goatee decorated his face.  His brown eyes looked restlessly at the world outside. 

            "You haven't changed a bit Cloud," he said, not bothering to glance up.  Cloud folded his arms across his chest. 

            "Who died and made you President, Reeve?" he asked with a hint of amusement. 

            Reeve stifled a smile and finally met Cloud's piercing gaze.  "There wasn't much choice really," he admitted, "For me or for the company." 

            "What was the alternative?" asked Tifa curiously. 

            "Death, for Shinra and Midgar," he replied, "This city is going to die eventually, but we can stave it off for a while." 

            "Why bother?" inquired Cloud.  Reeve shook his head sadly. 

            "We may have survived the meteor, but that does not guarantee humanity a future," he clarified, "I want to bring us hope." 

            "Hope is all some of us have," added Vincent solemnly.  Cloud looked back and forth between them. 

            "What is your research division up to?" he asked finally.  Reeve arched an eyebrow. 

            "Why don't I have Mister Valentine show you?" he said nodding to Vincent, who escorted them back to the hallway outside.  They walked past Rude to the elevator.  This time Vincent inserted his keycard and pressed the button marked '64'.  In a second the doors opened to reveal a large mostly empty space.  Strange equipment was neatly piled up against one wall and there were some empty glass tubes large enough to hold several people at one time.  Several researchers in lab coats were scurrying back and forth.  A few of them stopped, but Vincent waved a claw and they returned to their jobs.  A young woman with blond hair and hazel eyes walked over to them.  Her hair was cut short and she wore the same suit that Vincent and Rude sported. 

            "Is there a problem Boss?" asked Elena nervously. 

            "The President wants them to have a tour," explained Vincent.  She looked at Cloud and Tifa dubiously then nodded. 

            "As you can see we're in the process of dismantling this research facility," she explained gesturing around her, "Naturally we're here to guard against industrial espionage." 

             "What are you researching here?" asked Cloud glancing around the room. 

            "Mostly alternatives to mako power," she said getting more worried, but a glance from Vincent's stony visage seemed to reassure her. 

            "And what else?" asked Tifa. 

            "That's all I know about it," said Elena, "Only the President has full access…."

            "Then we'll ask him," said Cloud turning to go to the elevator.  He looked expectantly to Vincent who stood there immobile as a statue. 

            "Vincent," prompted Cloud.  Vincent slowly turned to face him. 

            "How can I explain?" asked Vincent glumly, "How can I make you understand?"  Cloud narrowed his eyes. 

            "What are you getting at?" he demanded. 

            "This doesn't make sense," said Tifa, "What's going on?" 

            "He's trying to stall us," said Cloud.  Horror suddenly dawned on his face.  Tifa caught the look. 

            "The _Highwind_!" she exclaimed. 

            Cloud ran through the emergency exit, with Tifa close behind.  Vincent calmly removed a radio from his pocket and held it close to his lips. 

            "Report to the flight deck," he intoned. 

            "Roger!" said Rude's voice. 

            "On my way Boss!" said Reno's voice. 

            "Elena, it's time," said Vincent.  They entered the elevator together, the doors closing shut on them. 

Within a minute Cloud and Tifa burst out onto the flight deck, precariously dangling off the remains of the 66th floor.  Wind whistled through the open spaces in the walls and sunlight filtered through the broken girders above.  The airship _Highwind_ was still anchored to the flight deck, facing away from them.  The cargo bay doors on the gondola were open and some workmen in blue jumpsuits and orange vests were struggling with moving large heavy boxes up the ramp.  A man with dirty blond hair cut short and sky blue eyes stood to one side.  He was wearing a dark blue jacket over olive green trousers.  He wore a white aviator's scarf around his throat and leather gauntlets on his hands.  A lit cigarette dangled from his lips as he watched the loading intently. 

            "Don't overdo it boys!" he admonished the workmen, "You're not getting paid to drop the damn cargo!" 

            "Yes Sir!" said the workers in a chorus.  He sensed something behind him and turned to see Cloud and Tifa.  His face lit up in a fierce grin. 

            "Well, I'll be goddamned!" he yelled, "When the hell did you get here?" 

            "Cid," began Cloud anxiously, "We don't have much time." 

             "What?" asked Cid Highwind.  His expression became more confused as he looked past them.  Cloud and Tifa glanced behind them to see Vincent standing there, followed closely by Rude, Elena and Reno.  The Turks spread out so they surrounded Cloud and Tifa in a semicircle.

            "Is the cargo loaded?" inquired Vincent. 

            "What the hell?" cursed Cid. 

Cloud sighed and retrieved the sword from his back.  He undid the cloth, exposing the glowing white edge of a purple blade with small crimson vents mounted on the black handle.  He leveled the blade at Vincent. 

            "You said you wanted to explain," he said, "Let's hear it."  Vincent stared at him imploringly but couldn't bring himself to tell Cloud.  He placed his claws over his chest and bowed to them. 

            "Forgive me," he pleaded, "I never wanted to make you suffer."  He walked past them up the landing ramp of the _Highwind_. 

            "Will someone tell me what's going on?" shouted Cid angrily. 

            "Just go fly the ship you geezer!" barked Reno as he extracted a long metal rod.  It telescoped into about three feet in length and electricity danced off the end. 

            "You know the drill gentlemen," said Elena.  Reno and Rude nodded to her.  Tifa ran forward and clobbered Reno with a backhand punch, sending him reeling. 

            "Ow, you bitch!" spat Reno. 

Rude punched a fist into the ground and drove a large yellow spark of energy that careened into Cloud and knocked him over.  Cloud counterattacked with a slash of the Ultima Weapon across Rude's chest.  The big man staggered backwards.  Elena pulled out a firebomb and lit it.  She flung it at Tifa's feet where it exploded, the flames searing her. 

            "Take this!" said Reno twirling his hand in the air.  A golden pyramid descended on top of Cloud, trapping him in an enclosed space.  Tifa gasped. 

            "Cloud!" she called out.  She jumped and drove her heel into the pyramid, shattering it.  Golden shards rained down on them. 

            "Damn it!" snarled Cid as he ran up the ramp.  He stabbed a button on the wall and the loading ramp retracted.  As the loading bay doors closed the last thing he saw was Cloud reaching out to him.  Once the ramp sealed shut Cid touched it with his hand.  Muttering angrily to himself, he sprinted towards the cockpit. 

            Reno ran towards Cloud and jabbed his midsection with a blast of blue electricity.  Cloud winced in pain and slashed Reno with his sword.  Reno's goggles landed on the ground, stained with fresh blood.  Reno touched his forehead and looked at his bloody hand in shock. 

            "You cut me!" he snarled.  Elena started to say something but it was drowned out in the whine of turbines powering up.  The _Highwind_ rocketed off toward the ocean, the sunlight gleaming on its upper surface.  Cloud ran towards the edge of the landing platform there and stood there for a long time.  After applying a bandage to Reno's cut, Elena turned to Cloud. 

            "Go now," she said quickly. 

            "You're letting us go?" demanded Tifa. 

            "Our job was just to stop you," she elaborated. 

            "Wait, I'm not finished here!" yelled Reno.  Rude stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. 

            "You're forgetting the first rule of the Turks," he reminded.  Reno sighed deeply. 

"Never get personal about business," he recited. 

            "Good," said Elena, "Let's go." 

            The three of them walked back into the elevator and the doors closed behind them.  Tifa walked over to Cloud, still watching the horizon.  All they could make out of the _Highwind_ was a dark speck. 

"What now?" she asked. 

            "We follow them," he said, something suddenly dawning on him, "I mean I have to follow them." 

            "I'll follow wherever you go," she said firmly.  He smiled sadly and squeezed her hand. 

            "You're going to regret that," he said.  She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him close.

            "I already do," she said mischievously. 


	2. Junon

Chapter 2 

            The metal deck plating vibrated under Vincent's feet as he walked through the cargo bay.  After making sure the crates were intact, he walked across a long catwalk to a set of stairs leading up to the cockpit.  The crewmen were seated at several control stations.  The windshield afforded a spectacular view of the blue ocean far below as clouds streaked past.  Cid turned from the pilot's station and gestured for Vincent to follow him.  They stepped out into cargo bay.  

            "Ok, spill it," said Cid irritably.  Vincent stared back at him expressionless.  Cid slammed a fist against the nearby bulkhead.  

            "Damn it Vincent," he growled, "What the hell are we hauling?"  

            "You are not being paid to ask questions," said Vincent reasonably.  Cid shot him a malevolent glance.  

            "What could be worth killing Cloud and Tifa over?" demanded Cid sternly.  Vincent stayed immobile except for his claws, which tensed up, metal scraping against metal.  

            "I have my duty," he explained with quiet intensity. 

            "To the Turks?" said Cid contemptuously, "Don't make me laugh!"  

            "No," he replied, "To something greater."  Cid leaned against the bulkhead.  

            "Shinra then?" he asked.  Vincent merely walked down the catwalk.  After a moment Cid followed him.  They reached a medium sized crate.  Cid looked at him questioningly.  

            "Are you sure you want to know?" inquired Vincent reluctantly.  Cid frowned.  

            "Of course!" he snapped.  Vincent silently pried open the lid of the crate with his claws.  Cid gingerly peered inside.  A large metal cylinder rested in a bed of straw.  Several hoses connected it to a motor that was humming softly.  Cid's brow was furrowed in puzzlement.  Vincent typed in a code on a keypad on the lid, and it swung open with a hiss.  White vapor rose from the inside of the cylinder.  Cid leaned forward to see a circular rack holding six tubes suspended in a clear smoking fluid.  Cid reached out to the tubes and Vincent grabbed his wrist with his hand.  

            "Don't touch them, they're freezing," he admonished.  

            "What are they?" breathed Cid.  

            "Frozen tissue," said Vincent, "Bone marrow specifically."  

            "Holy shit!" exclaimed Cid, "Whose?"  

             "Mine," said Vincent, indicating one of the tubes with a claw.  Cid's eyes got wide.

            "But…why?" he stammered.  

            "Professor Hojo collected cell cultures from all his subjects," explained Vincent, "These samples survived the damage caused by Jenova."  

            "Are those all yours?" asked Cid, numb with shock.  Vincent shook his head.  

            "The others belong to Cloud, Zack, Aeris, Red XIII and Sephiroth," he stated.  Cid audibly gulped.  A thousand thoughts raced through his head.  

            "Do you realize what you're saying?" he finally asked.  "What is Shinra going to do with them?" 

            "That is not our concern," said Vincent as he sealed the lid shut.  

            "Not our concern?" barked Cid as he grabbed Vincent's collar and slammed him against a bulkhead, "You unfeeling bastard!"  Vincent encircled his claws around Cid's throat and lifted him off the ground.  Cid gasped and sputtered and he frantically struggled against the vice-like grip.  

            "I don't expect you to understand," explained Vincent solemnly, "But please do not interfere."  

            "You're worse than…Sephiroth!" wheezed Cid.  Vincent's face twitched slightly and he dropped him to the floor.  

            "You may be right," he said after a moment's reflection.  He walked back to the crate and carefully packed the cylinder away.  Cid pushed himself off the floor.  

            "You're really going to…clone another Sephiroth?" he said between gulps of air.  

            "If necessary," he replied laying his claws on the crate lid.  Cid got to his feet and limped off, disgusted.  Vincent frowned and tried to pull his claws away, but they didn't budge.  He used his right hand to pry the claws free, one by one.  He cradled his left arm in his right and flexed the claws experimentally.  He knew that he had just lost another part of his humanity.  Soon, there would be nothing left.  

            The pilot turned to Cid as he entered the bridge.  

            "We're coming up on Junon," he announced.  He suddenly looked worried when he saw Cid's expression.  

            "Sir, are you alright?" he asked.  Cid nodded grimly.  They saw a giant city along the shore loom into view.  It was built in terraces, like a giant metallic staircase.  Each tier contained rows of storefronts and residences.  In the center was a tall tower decorated with black and red bunting.  To the right a small fishing village rested in the shadow of Junon, almost as an afterthought.  The late afternoon light gleamed off the bronze colored edifices.  The pilot brought the _Highwind_ over a landing pad on the roof of the central building.  He killed the engines and the airship slowly settled on the steel platform.  

            "Begin unloading at once!" ordered Cid.  

            The crew got up from their stations and went through the bridge door down the staircase.  After a moment he followed them.  Vincent was already supervising the crew.  Cid joined him.  The crew loaded the crates onto an enormous flatbed cargo elevator.  Once they were done, everyone boarded on the elevator.  Vincent pushed a button and the platform descended through the roof into a long square shaft.  They could catch glimpses of office space and computer rooms as the plunged deep into the earth.  The elevator came to rest and opened up in an underground chamber.  A large set of double doors opened, revealing a long half cylindrical undersea tunnel.  They could see fish swimming by in almost every direction.  At the far end of the corridor was another massive set of steel doors, leading to a large round structure, lit with underwater signaling lights.  

            "The underwater reactor?" asked Cid, surprised.  

            "It's been rebuilt," explained Vincent.  

            "As what?" demanded Cid uneasily.  

            "Come and see," replied Vincent coolly.  

            They walked down the corridor to the far set of doors.  Vincent punched in a code and the doors rumbled open.  They escorted the cargo through and the doors slammed shut behind them.  

            In Midgar the lights were still burning on the 65th floor of the Shinra building.  The phone rang and Reeve picked it up.  He listened into the receiver intently.  

            "Good," he murmured, "Accelerate the process."  

            He hung up and looked up expectantly at the Turks standing on the other side of the desk.  Rude cleared his throat.  

            "Everything went as planned," he said, "I want you three go and safeguard the Junon facility."  

            "Understood Mister President," replied Elena.  

            "I've got a question," said Reno resting his knuckles on the desk.  Reeve stared at him blankly.  Someone really had to teach this punk some manners, he reflected gloomily.

            "Why didn't you let us finish the job?" he demanded.  

            "Reno," warned Elena.  

            "We should have killed them!" snapped Reno, "They'll just cause trouble again!"  Reeve slowly rose and leaned across his desk.    

            "There is to be no killing," he said menacingly, "Not while I'm President."  Reno smirked and began to laugh.  He opened his mouth to remark on that when he felt a hand on his shoulder.  He turned to see Rude shaking his head slowly.  Reno sighed and angrily stepped away from the desk.  

            "Anything else?" asked Elena.  

            "Just hurry," said Reeve as he slumped back into his chair.  After they were gone, he swiveled the chair to gaze at the glowing city below him.  

            "I'm sorry Cloud," he muttered.  

The Turks walked down the corridor into the elevator.  They rode up one floor to the flight deck.  A white helicopter was already waiting, its propellers whirling.  They climbed through a side door and sat on a pair of benches facing each other.  Rude slammed the door shut as the helicopter took off and moodily watched as the Shinra building and Midgar slowly receded from view.  Elena looked between her partners and sensed the tension in the air.  

            "I wish Mister Tseng was still here," she said sadly.  Rude looked back at her and hoped that his sunglasses hid the pity he felt.  

            "Yeah he would have handled things a lot better," added Reno rubbing the bandage on his face with a gloved finger.

            "The President is doing his best," countered Elena.  

            "He's too soft!" snorted Reno irritably.  

            "Maybe it's because he has regrets," she mused.  

            "Why, do you have any regrets?" retorted Reno.  

            "The flower girl," said Rude pensively as he looked out the window again.  They both stared at him.  Elena sighed.  

            "Well I don't regret the Don's untimely demise," she said grimly.  

            Far below the helicopter a golden chocobo ran across the rolling waves of the ocean.  It kept far enough behind so that it was unlikely to be spotted.  The moonlight glinted off its metallic feathers, casting an eerie glow on Cloud's face.  Tifa sat behind him, holding on to his waist.  She looked up at the distant helicopter.  

            "Are you sure it's the right one?" she asked.  Cloud half turned and smirked.  

            "I'll be my life on it," he said.

            "What if this is a decoy?" she asked.  

            "I don't think so," he replied, "Shinra's been caught off guard."  

            "All thanks to Reno," said Tifa bitterly.  Cloud grimaced.  

            "I suspect we'll have a chance to settle things with him," he said.  

            Junon slowly rose above the horizon, each tier lit in the pale yellow glow of streetlights.  As the helicopter headed for the landing pad, Cloud guided the chocobo to the shoreline.  They came up the beach into the small fishing village.  An old man with white hair and a cloth cap sat on a rocking chair on the back porch, smoking a pipe.  It didn't even occur to him to be surprised at the sight.  

            "Hello there," whispered Cloud.  

            "Well now, it's that Soldier and his lady friend," said the old man cheerfully, "What can I do for you?"  Cloud dismounted and Tifa hopped to the ground.  

            "Has Shinra been up to anything unusual?" asked Tifa.  

            "They always are," replied the old man, rubbing his chin.  

            "Lately," clarified Cloud.  

            "Yeah, last year or so, there's been a lot more shipments coming in," said the old man, "And Priscilla says Mister Dolphin's been staying away from the underwater reactor."  Cloud and Tifa stared at each other.  

            "Should I tell Pricilla you're here?" he asked.  

            "Better not," said Cloud stifling a groan.  Tifa giggled behind her hand.  The old man stood up and patted the chocobo's beak.  

            "You'd like me to look after your bird while you sneak around?" he asked with a twinkle.  Cloud smiled and nodded.  

            Inside the underwater reactor Cid sat in the control dome on top that had a panoramic view of the ocean.  He sipped a cup of coffee and glanced at the technicians who were busy working at control stations.  Vincent sat in a large central chair and looked over security monitors, the blue glow of the screens casting a strange glow on his already unhealthy pallor.  A door behind him slid open and the Turks ambled in.

             "Anything to report?" asked Vincent without looking away from the monitors.  

            "The subjects escaped as instructed," said Elena.  Vincent nodded absently.  

            "Do you think they're going to find us?" asked Cid as he lit a cigarette.  

             "Sooner or later," said Vincent as he stood up, "You three check over the security details." They nodded and left. 

            "What about me?" asked Cid.  

             "You're coming with me," he replied.  

            They left through the door down a corridor full of steam pipes jutting from every vertical and horizontal surface.  They went down a metal staircase several flights and emerged in front of a heavy security bulkhead.  Vincent walked to one side and stood in front of a small eyepiece jutting from a control panel.  A red beam of light came out and traced over his right eye.  The door rumbled open revealing a large central pillar with a glowing green core visible through a small circular porthole.  Six smaller cylindrical metal pillars were arranged in a circle around the core.  

            "That's a mako reactor!" exclaimed Cid.  Vincent gestured him to follow and they entered the cavernous central space.  The reactor reached far up and fused with a large dome above them.  The door ground shut again.  Cid walked over and stared through the hatch.  

            "It's active!" he said.  

            "The only operational reactor left," said Vincent looking around the room.  Cid turned to face him.  

            "What the hell are you doing?" he demanded.  

            "Atoning," replied Vincent sadly.  Cid blinked in disbelief.  

            "For what?" said Cid.  

            At that red lights lit up along the walls and claxons blared around them.  They felt a faint rumble underneath their feet.  

            "Intruders in the reactor!" yelled Elena's voice over the loudspeaker.  

            "They're here!" said Vincent with a strange gleam in his eyes.  He walked over to a wall mounted console and punched a few buttons.  The screen lit up with the image of Cloud and Tifa standing in the underwater corridor in front of the main doors.  He raised his hand and a green glow spread out from his body.  Flaming meteors rained down, hammering the doors into dust.  Vincent hit an intercom switch.  

            "All personnel evacuate!" he announced over the loudspeaker, "Self destruct will be triggered in five minutes!"  He typed in a code and a pedestal rose from the ground in front of the reactor.  He walked over to it and pulled out a large blocky fuse, priming the charge underneath.  A buzzer began to sound amongst the cacophony.  

            "Self destruct is activated!" intoned a metallic female voice, "Five minutes and counting!"  

            Vincent pulled a lever and steel shells retracted from the six pillars.  Cid gaped at the round glass aquarium-like tanks underneath.  Each was filled with a murky green fluid.  Three were empty but the other three held shadowy human forms.  He walked over to the nearest occupied one.  Inside was a naked man with yellow spiky hair, looking asleep.  

            "I don't believe it!" he exclaimed, "You cloned Cloud!"  

            "A perfect clone of an imperfect clone," said Vincent.  Cid walked over to the next one.  Inside was an unclothed man with long black hair.  His left arm ended at the elbow in a stump.  Vincent didn't need to explain who it was.  Cid looked over to the last one, a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.  Inside was a young nude woman, her brown hair streaming behind her.  

            "Aeris!" said Cid in a strangled sob, slowly falling to his knees.  Vincent silently walked up alongside him and placed a hand on his shoulder.  The tears began to burn in Cid's eyes.  

            "Shinra hopes to save itself using these clones," he explained consolingly, "But I have other plans."  

            "Other plans?" he echoed dumbly.  

            "You must trust me Cid," implored Vincent.  The door behind them vibrated and shuddered.  Vincent walked up to the glass tank and ran his claws lightly over the surface, scoring the surface with parallel scratches.  He then scratched in the opposite direction.  With brutal suddenness he slammed his fist into the glass, shattering it.  Water gushed out, drenching his legs.  The shock of the warm water revived Cid.  He got uncertainly to his feet.  Vincent reached into the tank and carefully pulled the girl out.  She immediately began shivering violently.  He pulled off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.  

            The door behind them exploded, sending molten pieces of metal flying inward, some of them landing close by.  Vincent gently picked up the girl and handed her to Cid.  He then removed his glasses and pulled out his silver pistol.  

            "Get ready to run!" yelled Vincent with uncharacteristic emotion.  Cid slowly backed away from him and the door.  The smoke from the remains of the door briefly obscured the lanky young man wielding a large sword.  

            "Vincent!" exclaimed Cloud, "You traitor!"  Vincent leveled the pistol at his head.  

            "Don't move Cloud," warned Vincent.  Tifa arrived behind Cloud and gasped at the room.  Cloud suddenly followed her gaze to the clone tanks.  They didn't have time to process what was going on, it was happening all too quickly.  Finally they noticed Cid and the girl he was cradling in his arms.

            "Aeris!" screamed Cloud taking several steps forward.  Vincent fired two shots that hit the wall on either side of Cloud's head.  Tifa closed her eyes and got ready to cast.  

            "Forgive me," said Vincent as he fired a third shot.  It went straight through the fuse on the central pedestal, knocking it clean off.  The charge underneath erupted into a huge orange fireball that quickly engulfed the entire room.  A hot searing wind drove Cloud and Tifa backwards into the corridor.  Cloud shook his head and got up.  He ran back to the doorway.  The room beyond was a sea of flames, the reactor toppling over. The glass in the tanks shattered from the heat.

            "Aeris!" yelled Cloud desperately.  Tifa grasped his shoulder.  

            "Cloud, we've got to get out of here!" she screamed.  

            "I'm not leaving without her!" snapped Cloud.  Tears streamed down Tifa's face as she shook him.  

            "Please!" she begged.  Reluctantly they ran away from the collapsing core.  The corridors began to buckle and shake as subsidiary charges ignited along the load bearing beams in the superstructure.  Seawater began to rush in through breaches, flooding the rooms.  The walls crumpled inward from the pressure of the water and the reactor shrank before blossoming into a huge underwater blast.  The heat rose upward and caused the water at the surface to boil like a cauldron.  The Turks and the evacuated technicians stood on the edge of the lowest tier in Junon overlooking the glowing water below.  Together they watched the reactor die.  


	3. Wutai

Chapter 3 

            Cloud woke up in a haze of confusion.  Thoughts raced through fast through he head that he couldn't get a hold of them.  He sighed and opened his eyes.  The ceiling looked vaguely familiar.  It was made of wooden slats suspended over rough hewn beams.  He looked to his right and sat a nightstand with a small lamp set on it.  He looked to his left and saw Tifa curled up next to him, her arm draped across his chest.  It was then he realized he was wearing someone else's red flannel pajamas.  

            "Tifa, wake up," he said as he gently touched her shoulder.  Her eyes slowly opened.

            "Hey there," she said with a slight grin.    

            "Uh…what happened?" he asked after a long pause.  Tifa frowned slightly.  

            "I'm not sure," she replied, "I remember a flood."  

            "And then?" he prompted.  

            "And then…nothing," she replied.  Cloud put his hands behind his head and returned his gaze to the ceiling.  

            "This is the old fisherman's house," he mused.  

            "Nice peejays," she said as she ran a hand along his collar.  Cloud moodily sat up.  

            "I had a dream about her again," he said his eyes looking haunted.  

            "I know," she said.  He turned to her, surprised.  

            "Did I say something in my sleep?" he asked.  

            "Cloud it really happened," she said as gently as she could.  Cloud put his hands to his face and began rubbing his temples.  

            "I don't understand," he said staring into some private hell.  

Tifa sighed and climbed out of bed and noticed the cotton nightshirt she was now wearing.  She stretched her arms over her head and opened the shutters.  Light flooded into the small room.  A small crowd was gathered outside near a large fish skeleton suspended from a gibbet.  The old man padded over to the window.  

"Did you sleep well?" he asked.  

"Yes, thanks," she said, "What happened to us?"  

"Apparently, someone snuck into the underwater reactor and blew it up," said the fisherman with a hint of amusement.  

"Really?" asked Tifa innocently.  Cloud joined her at the window.  

"How did we get here?" he asked.  

"Mister Dolphin dragged you two back to shore," said the old man, "Be sure to go thank Priscilla."  Cloud nodded glumly.  

"Your clothes are over there," said the old man gesturing to a chest of drawers, "They were soaked, so I leant you some of mine."  

"Cloud, Cloud!"  

A young girl with dark skin wearing a red dress pushed open the door and hugged Cloud around the waist, nearly knocking him off balance.  Her brown hair was tied back with a green ribbon.    

"Yippee!" she exclaimed, "I knew you'd come back for me!"  

"Priscilla!" said Cloud, too much in shock to react.  

"Phew you smell like tobacco," she said wrinkling her nose.  Tifa leaned over and patted her head.  

"Hello there," she said cheerfully.  

"Hands off, he's mine!" said Priscilla, clutching Cloud defensively.  

"Ok, but invite me to wedding," said Tifa winking to Cloud, who rolled his eyes impatiently.  

"We don't have time for this," he said, "We have to find Vincent."  

"What happens when we do?" inquired Tifa.  He shook his head.  

"I don't know," he said darkly.  

"Do you think that we really saw…," began Tifa hesitantly.  Cloud gingerly broke free of Priscilla's grip.  

"We'll find out," he said grimly.

He walked towards the door.  Tifa caught his arm.  

"Cloud," she said quickly.  

"Don't try to stop me," he said intently.  

"Yes, but shouldn't you get dressed first?" she asked.    

Far above in Junon the Turks stood in a line in front of a desk in a large spacious room.  Behind the desk a wall of glass afforded a spectacular view of the ocean below.  Desks with computer consoles were arranged in four vertical rows along the room.  

"What do you mean he blew up the reactor?"

Elena swore that she could hear Reeve's shouting all the way from Midgar even without the speaker phone.  

"It was a surprise to all of us," she said in a subdued tone.  

"We should have never trusted him!" snarled Reno.  

"I still don't get it," said Rude rubbing his chin.  

"What's to get?" asked Reno with a sneer, "The guy was always a nut case."  

"No more than you," countered Rude with a smirk.

"Shut up both of you!" snapped Reeve, "Go launch all submarine units!"  

"What for?" asked Elena curiously.  

"Check out the rubble of the reactor," said Reeve testily, "And drag whatever is left of Vincent's carcass to me!"  

"He may have escaped," pointed out Elena thoughtfully.  

"Then look for him," replied Reeve, "And post guards on the_ Highwind_."  

"Anything else?" asked Rude.  They heard a deep sigh at the other end of the line.  

"Just call back with good news next time."  Then they heard a beeping dial tone.  Reno hung up the receiver on the cradle.  He glanced at Rude.

"He didn't fire us," he said tossing a ten Gil piece to him.  Rude caught it mid-air.  

            "Drinks are on me tonight!" said Rude with a small grin.  

            In the docks near Junon, Shinra soldiers in blue with matching helmets boarded a half dozen submarines, all painted a generic gray.  They submerged and drifted down towards the sea floor.  Their floodlights snapped on, scaring away small schools of fish.  Carefully they made their way in formation to the blacked scattered hunks of metal littered across the sea bed.  They fanned out and began using robotic arms mounted on the nose cones to retrieve debris.  One of the subs followed a debris trail that led it far from the others.  Once it was far enough away, it fired up it engines full power and sped out to open ocean.  

             The sun shone brightly down on the hamlet of Wutai.  A cluster of five ancient wooden buildings rested on stone foundations, crowned with sharply peaked black slate roofs buttressed by wooden beams painted bright red.  They were partitioned by gracefully flowing canals spanned by small curved footbridges.  In the distance to the west loomed a tall five story pagoda, surrounded by the pine forest.  To the east loomed a mysterious collection of giant statues carved from a cliff face, universally known as the Daochao.  

The door to a pub opened and a young woman strode out carrying a tray.  Her dark brown hair was cut short and she was wearing a short sleeved jade green dress with a dragon curling up one shoulder.  She lifted the lid off a giant pot resting to the left of the entrance and threw the tray in, then skipped cheerfully across the footbridges to a house on a hill.  She climbed up a short flight of stone steps and then turned left up another flight leading to the entrance to her house.  Something was amiss, she thought as she reached the door.  She walked over to a window and peered in.  The inside of the house was dark but she caught the whiff of cigarette smoke.  She drew out a four pronged boomerang and leapt though the window.  

"Hi-yah!" she yelled as she tackled the man in the darkness.  With surprising force he kicked her off.  

"Get off me you minx!" griped a familiar voice.  The girl's arm froze in mid-throw.  

"That you Cid?" she asked.  

"Damn straight!" snapped Cid lighting a match, which lit his face with flickering shadows.  Yuffie Kisaragi gasped and the cuts and bruises decorating his eyebrow and cheeks.  

 "What happened to your face Jichan?" she asked.  Cid snorted.  

"Don't call me that!" he groused sitting down again, "I'm too young to be your grandpa."  Cid yelped as she poked one of his cuts experimentally.  

 "Wow, you got beat up good," she said appraisingly.  

"No shit," he said retrieving the cigarette from the floor and relighting it.  Yuffie giggled and raised the shutters.  Sunlight flooded into room, illuminating the small square table and cushions resting rice straw matting on the floor.  A screen with a moonrise over mountains separated the front of the room from the futon area in the back.  The sunlight glinted off the metallic claw decorating the left arm of a man sitting in the corner.  He was dressed in a black tunic and pants, over which he wore a long red cape with a high collar that hid most of his lower face.  Both his right eye and arm were buried under mounds of white gauze.  Yuffie's jaw fell open.  

"Forgive us for intruding like this," said Vincent bowing his head slightly, "We ask for your indulgence."  Yuffie knelt in front of him, her hands resting on her knees.

"Vincent-san!" she exclaimed in horror, "You're burnt!"  

"It looks worse than it is," said Vincent carefully, "But I appreciate your concern."  She started to raise her hands to him, but then dropped them to her sides again.  

"I was so worried about you," she said looking down, "And you never came to visit me."  

"You could have visited him you know," said Cid leisurely as he blew a smoke ring.  

"Can it Jichan!" she snapped.  Her dark eyes opened wide when she felt a bandaged hand rest on her shoulder.  She looked up to meet Vincent's foreboding gaze.  

"Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated," he said softly.  She gingerly rested her hand on top of his.  

"You bet!" she said brightly, "What do you need?"  

"For starters our materia," suggested Cid as he tapped ash into a white porcelain vase.  Yuffie's expression fell.  She had hoped to keep her materia collection longer.  

"Please bring me the Death Penalty and the Princess Guard," suggested Vincent quietly.  Yuffie nodded and bounded down a staircase leading to the basement.  They heard her rummaging around, moving boxes and sliding walls.  Cid rolled his eyes.  

"You really sure you want to drag the brat into this?" he asked.  

"We have no choice at this point," said Vincent morosely, "We are at her mercy."  They sat in silence for a while.  Finally Yuffie returned with a long case and a wrapped up bundle.  She set the case in front of Vincent.  He unlocked the snaps and lifted out a long dark gray rifle with a cylindrical barrel mounted on a square stock.  A small rectangular tag with red tassels dangled from the sight mounting, emblazoned with some characters.  Vincent ran his claws along the stock and lifted the tag.  

"What does it say?" he inquired.  Yuffie suddenly became bashful.  She held the bundle behind her back and rocked back and forth on her heels.  

"I…it's for good luck," she finally said.  Vincent broke the gun open and looked down the barrel.  He then removed some bullets from a small bag in the case and loaded it.  He snapped the gun shut and holstered it on his belt.  

"Thank you Yuffie," he said.  

"Um, Vincent-san, are you sure you need this?" she asked, holding out the long bundle.  He took it and unbound it, revealing a long metal pole with golden wings adorning one end.  Its surface was decorated with delicate etchings.

"What do you need it for?" she asked.  

Vincent and Cid wordlessly exchanged a pained glance.  Vincent's gaze drifted to the back room behind the screen.  Yuffie walked around to the futon area and had to put her fist to her mouth to stop from crying out.  Curled asleep on the futon was a young woman with long auburn hair that fell in long bangs on either side of her face.  She was wearing a dark suit and tie that was several sizes too large for her.  Yuffie staggered backwards.  

"Is this some kind of sick joke?" she said on the verge of tears.  

"Perhaps in the cosmic sense," replied Vincent, "But she is my responsibility now."  

"How can this be?" she asked, bewildered.  Cid sighed.  

"Shinra made a clone of her," elaborated Cid, "Well of several people, but she's the one we saved."  Yuffie looked between them, adrift.

"She is just a shell of the person you knew," said Vincent dully, "An empty vessel."

"Why would you let them do that?" she asked numbly.  

"I need her," said Vincent bluntly.  

"For what?" asked Cid.  Vincent stared at them in sullen silence.  Yuffie's face suddenly lit up.  

"It's Lucrecia, isn't it?" she demanded, "You want to save her!"  Vincent looked as if she had punched him in the stomach.  

"I want to free her from the chains of this existence," he said, "It's the only thing I can still do for her."

"She made her choice long ago," reminded Cid.  

"I could have stopped her," said Vincent flexing his claws angrily, "But I gave up on her too easily."  

 "So that's what this is all about?" said Cid angrily, "You're just using us to ease your own guilt!"  Vincent dropped his head.  

"Yes," he said after a long silence, "Choose to help me or stop me, but choose quickly."  Cid and Yuffie looked at each other helplessly.  

"I'm going to ask her," she said going back to the futon area.  She leaned over and gently shook the girl on the shoulder.  

"Wake up Aeris," said Yuffie gently.  The girl slowly sat up and looked her way.  Her emerald eyes transfixed Yuffie, as if she could peer into her soul.  Her innocent expression was kindly but vacant.  Yuffie felt a strange chill.  

"Can you hear me?" she asked nervously.  The girl merely smiled back at her blankly.  Yuffie frowned and turned to Vincent.  

"Vincent-san, what's wrong with her?" she asked tensely.

"Nothing is wrong with her," said Vincent hollowly.  

"We found her like this," said Cid wearily stubbing out his cigarette.  The girl suddenly stood and walked out the front door.  Vincent followed her after hesitating for moment.  A few minutes later Cid and Yuffie walked outside together.  They saw the girl running down a flagstone path running through her backyard garden, chasing a yellow butterfly.  Vincent was sitting under a tree, watching her intently.  Yuffie glanced up at Cid.  

"Are you going to help him?" she asked after a long while.  Cid nodded.  

"Yeah, I want to see how this plays out," he remarked, "How about you?" 

"Vincent-san is still a prisoner of Lucrecia," she said coldly, "If he can free her, he will free himself."  

The girl finally caught up with the butterfly and clasped her hands around it.  She quickly ran back to Vincent, who stood up as she approached.  She opened up her hands and revealed the smashed wings stuck to the palms and stared down at them, puzzled.  Vincent rested his claws on top of her hands and closed them again.  

"This will kill Cloud," said Yuffie sadly.  

"He already knows," replied Cid, "He's coming after her."  Yuffie debated quietly what Cid meant by that, but decided to ask a different question.  

"If she's not really Aeris, what is she Jichan?" asked Yuffie.  

"I don't know," said Cid now giving up, "If I had known we'd be opening Pandora's Box, I would have never…."

 "Let's call her that," she interrupted.  

"Call her what?" he asked.  But she was already walking away.  

Back in Midgar Reeve decided his office looked much better in total darkness.  It allowed him to meditate on how things had gone wrong.  All he had wanted was to make Shinra a company he could be proud to work for.  But somewhere along the line he had gone astray.  He furiously pondered how he had allowed that to happen.  

"Of course!" he said, sitting up suddenly, "It was Vincent all along!"  

"Glad you finally figured it out," said a sarcastic voice in the dark.  Reeve felt the hair on the back of his neck rise.  

"Who's there?" he said, fighting down his panic.  

"What am I, an orphan now?" said the voice, sounding wounded.  Reeve snapped on the desk lamp.  The light faintly illuminated an enormous white moogle, with pointed teeth and tiny bat-like wings.  Its huge hands rested on the far edge of the desk.  Sitting smugly on top of it was a small black cat with a white belly and face.  It was wearing a crown and carrying a blue colored megaphone.  

"Cait Sith!" said Reeve, his eyes bulging, "How can this be happening?"  

"Simple," said the cat hopping on to the desk top and striding over to him, "You called me."  

"I did?" he asked letting his head drop into his arms.  His wondered if he was going mad.  Cait Sith dusted off stack of books and sat down.  

"Spare me the breakdown pal, 'kay?" muttered the cat sympathetically, "We've got to work to do."  

"But I created you!" snapped Reeve sitting up suddenly, "I control you!"  

"You created me to be everything you wanted to be," said Cait Sith waving a paw.  Reeve dug his fingernails into the blotter on his desk.  

"Get out!" he yelled venomously.  

 "Gee, here I am trying to help and all I get is abuse," griped the cat.  

"You can't help me," said Reeve, his shoulders slumping.  

"Let's help each other," suggested Cait Sith, "What's your number one problem?"   

"Vincent," said Reeve automatically.  

"And how do we find him?" prompted the cat.  Reeve frowned and slowly sat up.  

 "We can't," he said making a tent of his fingers, "There are too many places for him to hide."  

"So we wait for him to come to us," said Cait Sith, "We just need to know where to wait."  Reeve's eyes lit up with fire.  

"Of course!" he said, "You're a genius!"  The cat smirked as it leaned its face close to his.  

"No, we are," it said cheerfully before walking back to the moogle.  Reeve chuckled quietly as he reached over and shut off the light.  

A lone gray submarine made its way along the sea floor.  It reached the shoreline and veered towards an underwater cave.  It passed through a long dark tunnel, the spotlights illuminating the gracefully curving rock formations.  As it got deeper into the cavern, it drew closer to a round chamber, eerily lit from sunlight above.  It surfaced to float on the surface of a small mountain lake.  A tall waterfall splashed water onto a shallow beach at the far end.  The top hatch of the submarine popped open with a hiss.  Cid leaned out and inhaled deeply.  He frowned slightly as he heard a familiar rumbling noise.  He stared up and gaped at the _Highwind_ floating directly overhead.  After slamming the hatch shut again, he dropped down the ladder to a cylindrical chamber below.  Vincent swiveled his chair away from the control banks.  

"Crap, we're screwed," said Cid wearily as the depth charges hit the water above them.  Explosions rocked the small ship and nearly flipped it out of the water.  It landed upside down as the second volley of charges detonated around it.  The submarine broke in half and settled to the bottom in pieces.  


	4. Rocket Town

Chapter 4 

            Debris began to wash along the narrow beach in front of waterfall cave.  Yuffie drifted in along with the remains of a storage drum.  A black leather boot carefully poked at her shoulder.  She didn't stir.  Elena looked up at Rude and Reno and shook her head.  

            "They've got to come up sometime," said Reno leisurely.  

            "Unless they drowned," suggested Rude scratching his face.  Reno chuckled.  

            "Well it serves them right if they did," he said.  

            "Look with your eyes not your mouths!" ordered Elena testily as she turned over a piece of armor plating.  Cid washed ashore further along the beach.  He sputtered and got unsteadily got to his feet.  Rude spotted him and a green glow emanated from his body.  Ice spikes shot up from the sand under Cid's feet and shattered, knocking him down.  He feebly stirred.  Reno walked over and ground his heel onto Cid's hand.

            "Where is he?" demanded Reno bluntly.  

            "Hey, lay off asshole!" snarled Cid.  Reno extended the electroshock rod and jammed it into Cid's neck.  Electricity arced through Cid's body as he howled in pain.  Smoke drifted up from his clothes.  Reno smirked gleefully.  

            "Reno," said Elena sternly.  

            "He'll live," replied Reno casually.  

            "Guys," warned Rude.  They followed his gaze to the man in red rising out of the water as he slowly made his way to shore.  In his arms was a girl whose appearance stabbed their memory like a knife wound.  

            "What the hell?" said Reno, his weapon nearly falling free of his grasp.  Vincent waded onto the beach and gently lay the girl down next to Yuffie.  He then removed the Death Penalty from its holster.  

            "I don't believe it," breathed Elena.  They exchanged stupefied glances.  

            "It's the flower girl," said Rude incredulously.  

            "No, really?" echoed Reno sarcastically.  

            "But how?" asked Rude shaking his head.

            "Ask your President," suggested Vincent solemnly.  

            "What is she?" asked Elena.  

            "Yuffie calls her Pandora," he said, "Beyond that I don't know."  

            "No more fortune cookie speeches," snapped Reno impatiently, "Tell us the truth!"  

            "Reno, do you believe that if one evil perpetuates another, it can do some good?" asked Vincent.  Reno sighed angrily, but actually considered it for a moment.  

            "Yeah I guess so," he said.  

            "Then she is the second evil," said Vincent indicating Pandora with a claw.  

            "Who's the first?" asked Elena.  

            "I am," he replied evenly.  

            "But Shinra made you what you are, didn't it?" asked Rude.  

            "Shinra brought out what was always there," replied Vincent enigmatically.

            "Remind me why we are discussing this," groused Reno.

            "I thought you wanted to know the truth," retorted Elena with a hand on her hip.  

            "Yeah but this isn't a social occasion," said Reno tapping the electroshock rod against his shoulder.

            "We're going to have to take you down Boss," said Rude adjusting his sunglasses.      

            "Just get it over with," stated Vincent flatly.  Reno ran forward and zapped Vincent with the electroshock rod.  Vincent leveled his gun and pulled the trigger.  Nothing happened.  Reno smirked until Vincent socked him in the jaw with a metal fist.  Reno fell backwards in the sand as Elena cast causing a spurt of flames to erupt under his feet.  Rude body slammed Vincent, driving him back into the water.  Reno stood up wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

            "Payback time!" he yelled as he smacked Vincent across the face with his electroshock rod.  

            "Reno," said Elena, getting worried.  

            "Don't kill him," said Rude.  

"You think he can die?" snorted Reno, "He's worse than a cockroach!"  As he said that Vincent reached up and grasped his weapon.  Reno looked down at him in surprise.  

            "Please Reno," implored Vincent, looking past him longingly into the cave near the waterfall.  He was so agonizingly close. 

            "Screw you!" snapped Reno as he switched on the electricity again.  Vincent trembled and began glowing red.  His muscles bulged grotesquely as he grew taller.  The Turks saw a strange pale monster covered with rags and a pair of red beady eyes peering from behind a metallic mask.  It fired up the chainsaw in its grip and cackled maniacally.  

            "You idiot, you made him berserk!" chided Elena.  

            "Shut up and help me!" countered Reno.  The Hellmasker lunged forward and brought its chainsaw down on Reno.  He held up his weapon to parry and it broke it half, electricity dancing off the broken ends.  The monster grabbed Reno by the collar and flung him bodily over Elena and Rude.  

            "Well that was inevitable," said Rude as they heard him rebound off a rocky wall behind them.  Elena unpinned a grenade and threw it at the Hellmasker's feet, where it detonated, knocking it in the air.  Pandora's eyes fluttered open.  She sat up and looked up at the monster looming over her.  

            "Vincent?" she asked uncertainly.  The Hellmasker turned and swung its chainsaw down at her.  She held her hands over her head and closed her eyes.  When the blow didn't land, she slowly opened her eyes and saw Rude wrestling with the monster.  

            "Run for it flower lady!" he yelled.  Pandora got up and slowly walked towards them.  

            "Get away!" commanded Elena, with another grenade at the ready.

            The Hellmasker knocked Rude down as she grasped its other arm.  

            "Vincent!" said Pandora plaintively as she clutched fearfully to its arm.  The monster snarled and tried to knock her off.  She began to glow a strange pale green.  Rude was back to his feet by then.  

            "Lady, you have to…," he began but trailed off at the sight.  The Hellmasker screeched and dropped the chainsaw into the sand.  It wrapped its powerful arms around her body, smoke rising from where it touched her.  Pandora began to choke as its vice like grip became crushing.  It glowed with a red aura and began to shrivel.  When the glow faded Vincent stood there embracing her.  

            "Vincent," said Pandora breathlessly.  

            "Pandora?" said Vincent loosing his grip, "What have I done?"  He fainted and went limp in her arms.  Reno staggered over to join Rude and Elena.  

            "What happened?" he asked as he rubbed his shoulder.  

            "I have no idea," admitted Elena.  

            A solitary man lay on a rocky outcropping overlooking the _Highwind_ as it finished loading its passengers.  Cloud lowered the binoculars with a frown at it fired up the turbines and rocketed off to the northwest.  He climbed down the slope leading to a sheltered valley where Tifa and the golden chocobo sat waiting.  

            "Looks like they're heading for Rocket Town," he said.  

            "Did you see them?" asked Tifa with concern.  He nodded slowly.  

            "Did you see her?" she prompted.  He sighed and sat on a rock.  Tifa hesitated for a moment and sat next to him.  

            "I thought I'd give anything to see her one more time," said Cloud unable to hide the strain in his voice, "But now I'm more afraid than anything else."

            "What are you afraid of?" asked Tifa putting her hand on top of his.  Cloud shook his head.  

            "I'm afraid of her, of me, of Vincent," he said, "Of what may happen to us."  

            "Must it really end like that?" asked Tifa crossing her legs, "We've been through so much."  

            "I'm sorry to put you through this," Cloud said sadly.  She closed her eyes and leaned her head on his shoulder.  

            "Just promise me one thing," she asked.  

            "What is it?" he said, although he could already guess.

            "Just don't leave me alone again," she whispered.  He squeezed her hand.  

            "I promise," he said.  

            Aboard the _Highwind_, Vincent watched the waterfall slowly recede in the distance through a porthole.  He tried to strain for a better view but the shackles around his arms legs and neck pinned him in place against the wall.  With a deep sigh, he cursed himself for his foolishness.  He had been careless where Lucrecia was concerned.  She had told him many times that he was too sentimental for someone in his line of work, which had proved to be prophetic.  Maybe that was why she had chosen Hojo in the end; his brilliance was untainted by inconvenient emotions like love or guilt.   Still, something didn't fit.  

            He had wanted to free Lucrecia of not just confinement, but purposelessness.  But he had underestimated Pandora's role in this.  Somehow she was able to bring him back from the dark brink of madness he always teetered on.  But then he had hurt her.  With a chill he understood that part of him had wanted to hurt her.  He clenched his claws tightly into a fist as he realized that to save the woman he loved would mean sacrificing himself and the girl.  

            Pandora stood at the window in the cockpit with her face pressed against the glass.  

            "We're going so fast!" she said in amazement.  

            "Yeah, how about that?" asked Reno as he lit a cigarette.  Elena and Rude exchanged glances.  Rude took Pandora by the elbow and led her down the staircase to a large door that led into a room with a long table surrounded by swivel chairs.  He gestured to a seat at the head of the table and she sat down.  Elena and Reno entered the room right behind them.  Reno lounged against a wall as Elena leaned across the table.  

            "What happened back there?" she asked as pleasantly as she could.  

            "What do you mean?" inquired Pandora innocently.  

            "What happened with Vincent," clarified Rude, "That was incredible."  

            "I don't know," said Pandora, "Where is he?"  

            "We're letting him cool off a little," said Reno as he took a drag on his cigarette.  

            "Never mind him," said Elena, "Just tell us what he's planning."  Pandora looked at her blankly.  Elena sighed and paced angrily across the carpet.  Reno walked over and sat on the table near Pandora.  

            "Look, I'm sorry about the flowerbed, okay?" he said not daring to look her in the eyes.  

            "We were just doing our job," added Rude.  Pandora blinked at them blankly.  

            "Sector 5," prompted Reno.  Elena put her hands on her hips.  

            "Are you two done?" she asked impatiently.  They exchanged a guilty look.  Reno stood up and returned to his spot against the wall.  

            "We'll sort this out when we get back to Midgar," said Elena, "Meanwhile, let's pay a visit to our friends in Rocket Town."  

            The _Highwind_ came up upon a small village near the seashore.  The earth toned cottages had gabled roofs and were surrounded by picket fences.  On the outskirts was a giant launch pad surrounded by tall metal scaffolding.  People came out of their houses to peer up at the airship hovering gracefully overhead.  A woman in a long white coat ran out of the house near the launch pad, her auburn hair tied back in a ponytail.  She covered her brown eyes with a hand and smiled.  

            "Welcome home Captain," she said cheerfully.  The villagers watched the _Highwind_ slowly settle down in a grassy field near the weapon shop.  The loading ramp swung down and Cid emerged, followed by Yuffie and the Turks.  Her smile vanished when she saw their expressions.  She ran up to Cid.  

            "Captain, what's wrong?" she asked.  Cid looked away.  

            "Shera, just go inside and make some tea, okay?" he muttered.  She glanced at the blank expressions on the Turks and then to Yuffie, who looked annoyed.  

            "Tea would be good," said Elena.  Shera nodded and returned to the house.  They all followed her inside.  The house was small but cozy, filled with a long sink and stove by the northern window, a table with four chairs, and doorways leading to a bathroom, den and garage.  Cid slumped in a chair by the kitchen table.  Yuffie slowly sat next to him.  Shera ran over to the sink and began filling a kettle with water from the tap.  

            "What blend would you like?" she asked pleasantly.  Cid hit his fist on the tabletop.  

            "Damn it woman, it doesn't matter what blend!" he snapped.  

            "You got any coffee?" asked Reno.  Shera nodded and put the kettle on the stove.  She then returned to sink and began scooping coffee grounds out of a tin and putting it in a small metal coffeepot.  

            "Understand our position here," began Elena, "We don't want you causing any…interference."  Cid and Yuffie looked at each other.  

            "Yeah, but…," suggested Yuffie.  

            "The President doesn't want your deaths on his conscience," she continued, "So he's decided to keep both of you here under house arrest."  

            "House arrest?" said Cid, "That's ridiculous!"  

            "It's better than the alternative," said Reno with a smirk.  

            "If either of set one of you foot out of this house, we are authorized to use any methods to stop you next time," stated Elena.

            "Sounds like ol' Reeve is getting soft," said Cid resting his chin on a hand.  

            "It's lucky for you if he is," said Rude.  

            "Personally I hope you try something," said Reno as Shera handed him a mug.  He sipped it but winced at the blisteringly hot coffee.  Shera served tea to everyone else.  Elena folded her arms across her chest.  

            "Is that perfectly clear?" she asked.  Cid nodded morosely and Yuffie sulked.  Rude sipped his mug.  

            "Nice tea," he said.  

            "Thank you," said Shera looking a little afraid.  The Turks drained their cups and walked out the door.  Shera walked over to the window and peered outside.  She saw six soldiers in blue uniforms march up and surround the house, their rifles by their sides.  The_ Highwind_ levitated and blasted off toward the east.    

             "What happened?" she breathed.  

            "Don't ask," said Cid sipping his tea moodily.  Shera leaned over in front of him and smiled.  

            "What?" he asked self-consciously.  

            "Nothing," she said as she planted a kiss on his cheek, "I'm just glad you're back, Captain."  As she turned back to stove Cid glared at Yuffie.  

            "Wipe that look off your face kiddo," he warned.  

            "Aw, I think its sweet Jichan," she said with a grin.  Cid slumped in the chair and put his boots up on the table.  

            As the moon rose over the sleeping town Cid walked past the cot where Yuffie was sleeping and into the garage.  An open two seated green car sat there bathed in the moon glow.  Long chrome pipes protruded from the engine block and ran along the sides to the back where they ended in large exhaust vents.  He pulled a wrench from a tool rack and began tightening the joints on the engine block.  

            "Couldn't sleep?" asked Shera as she peered in.  Cid walked around to the other side of the car.  

            "Yeah I got a lot on my mind," he said eventually.  She took a seat on a stool in front of the workbench.  He adjusted a rubber hose and then glanced up at her.  

            "What?" he asked.  She smiled and shook her head.  He sighed and climbed into the driver's seat, resting his hands on the steering wheel.  Shera climbed into the passenger seat next to him.  

            "It seemed like such a sweet deal," he said after a long pause, "Reeve takes over Shinra, he wants to hire Vincent and me, and everything will be different this time."   

            "And what happened?" she asked.  

            "Aeris," he said with a sigh.  Shera gasped.  

            "Well maybe she's not Aeris, but Shinra needs her for some scheme," he said, "All I know is Vincent doubled crossed them, but he was going to use her for his own scheme."  

            "Do you know what the schemes were?" she inquired.  Cid shook his head.  

            "Maybe it's just as well," he said.  

            "Do you really believe that Captain?" asked Shera.  Cid didn't answer.  They sat together in the car silently.  Suddenly they heard a loud thump outside.  Shera turned to Cid, but he held a finger to his lips.  He climbed out of the car to the tool rack and took down a long elaborately carved spear from a high shelf.  As he snuck into the kitchen he saw a darkened form sneaking around the table.  Cid flicked on the light switch.  

            "Yaah!" 

Yuffie stood there with a razor sharp folded origami crane in her hand, ready to strike.  

"What the hell are you doing?" demanded Cid.  

"I heard a noise outside Jichan," she said.  At that moment they heard another loud thump.  They both turned toward the front door.  The back door behind them burst open and they whirled around and leveled their weapons at Cloud.  

"Whoa!" he said, holding up his hands, "I'm here to bust you guys out!"  

"Bust us out?" asked Cid incredulously.  Tifa entered through the front door.  

"Would you like some tea?" asked Shera sweetly.  

"Damn it Shera, screw the tea!" snapped Cid.  

"How do you put up with him?" Tifa said to Shera.  

"Oh, deep down, he's really a sweet man," she replied, looking embarrassed.  Cid rolled his eyes.  

"Alright, cut to the chase Strife," said Cid, "What do you want?"  Cloud's haunted expression answered that question for him.  Cid sighed deeply.  

"They're taking her back to Midgar," he said.  

"Alright, that's where we're going then," said Cloud.  

"Have fun kids," said Cid dropping into a chair.  

"I'll go," said Yuffie firmly, "But I want to save Vincent-san as well."  

"I'm not even sure he can save himself," remarked Cloud.  

"How about you Cid?" asked Tifa.  

"I've had enough fun for one night," he said grimly.  

"That's your choice," said Cloud, "Now we need to find the fastest way back to Midgar."  

"We have an ocean chocobo, but it's can't hold all of us," added Tifa.  

"Why not use the _Tiny Bronco_," suggested Shera.

"Shera!" said Cid, turning in his chair.  

"The Captain has been fixing it up in his spare time," she continued, "Although the engine may need a little fine tuning."  Cid got to his feet.  

"Shera, you don't mean that!" he protested, "Last time they totally trashed it!"  Shera smiled sweetly and retrieved a small ceramic jar from the cupboard.  She fished out a long thin key on a chain and dropped it in Cloud's hand.  

"This is the ignition key, twist it counterclockwise to start," she explained.

"Alright, thanks," said Cloud.  

            "Keep your damn mitts off my plane!" yelled Cid, snatching the key from Cloud, "I'm the only one who pilots it!"

            "Alright, then you fly it," suggested Tifa.  

            "If you don't want to go, we'll just steal it," added Yuffie gleefully.  

            "I…," began Cid, but he stopped in mid sentence.  Defeated, he yanked his coat off a hook and put it on.  

            "Be safe Captain," said Shera.  

            "Have some tea ready when I get back," he said as he left through the back door.  The others followed him out.  After they were gone, Shera sat at the table and buried her head in her arms.  

            Cid led them past the unconscious guards around the large metal scaffolding that remained after the spectacular rocket launch.  On the far side they saw a canvas tarp that was staked to the ground covering a large object.  Cid lit a cigarette and began uncovering the plane. It was long and red, with metallic blue trim.  A single fuselage on two stubby pontoons with wheels as twin wings that sloped downward extended from either side.  A propeller extended from the tip of each wing while the tail fins were attached to a pair of long delicate struts.  Cid pulled the chocks away from the wheels and climbed into the cockpit.  He inserted the key and turned it.  

            "Contact!" he yelled.  They all took a few steps back as the propellers began to turn.  Cloud climbed up next to Cid.  

            "How are we going to do this?" he yelled over the noise.  

            "We'll stick to low altitudes!" shouted Cid, "Get some of that rope and lash yourselves to the wings!"  Tifa and Yuffie jumped on the wings and tied coils of rope around their waists and the other end to the support struts in the wings.  Cloud ties his rope in a loop over a plate next to the pilot's chair.  Once they were secure, Cid steered the plane towards an open field.  He pushed down on the foot petals as the plane gained groundspeed.  They slowly gained in altitude and the _Tiny Bronco_ nearly clipped off some branches of a tree at the far end.  Cid banked the plane and began turning east, where a faint glow of the sunrise was barely noticeable.  

            "Shera was right, the engine does need to be fine tuned," said Cid.

            "What?" asked Cloud.  

             "That damn woman deserves better," he muttered, too quietly for Cloud to hear.  

            The _Tiny Bronco_ cruised off into the predawn light.  Toward the land of perpetual darkness that was Midgar.  


	5. Return to Midgar

Chapter 5 

            The _Highwind_ slowly settled on the flight deck of the Shinra tower.  A lone man stood waiting, the breeze blowing back his hair and suit jacket.  He walked forward as the loading ramp extended.  Elena was standing on the other side.  

            "Mister President!" she said in surprise, "We were going to report to you."

            "I appreciate the concern Elena," said Reeve with an uncharacteristically serene smile.  She wondered idly what had happened to him as he walked past her into the cargo deck.  There the other Turks were waiting.  

            "Mister President," said Rude.  

            "Let me see her," replied Reeve.  Reno walked through the conference room doors and emerged a moment later, followed by Pandora.  She peered at Reeve fearfully.  His face twitched and for a moment a shadow enshrouded his soul.  Then he brightened.  

            "I'm President Reeve," he said finally as he took her hand, "I'm pleased to finally meet you Aeris."  She blinked in confusion.  

            "Boss called her Pandora," said Rude.  Reeve glanced at Rude with a distant expression considered that.  

            "The man does have a strange kind of poetry to him," he remarked as he put his hands in his pockets.  Pandora nervously played with the cuffs of her oversized suit jacket.  

            "Did she join the Turks or is this something I don't know about?" he inquired with a small grin.  

            "I think it belongs to the Boss-I mean, Mister Valentine," said Rude.

            "What are we going to do with her?" asked Elena.  

            "We're going to ask for her assistance," said Reeve, "She's the last hope for humanity."  Pandora looked up.

            "I am?" she asked.  Reeve nodded thoughtfully.  

            "Absolutely," he said, "Will you help us?"  She looked around at the Turks.  They did their best to look impassive.

            "Can you help Vincent?" she asked finally.  

            "We'll do everything we can for him," stated Reeve.  She nodded slightly.  

            "What do I have to do?" she asked.  

            "Rude, escort our guest to Mako Reactor 8," instructed Reeve.  Rude nodded and gestured her to follow.  She left with him and they walked down out of the ship.  Reeve peered back at Elena and Reno.  

            "Time to pay Mister Valentine a visit," he said darkly.  

            They walked past some workmen into the chocobo stable.  Chained to the opposite wall was Vincent.  His arms were spread out over his head, which was slumped forward.  Reeve stepped inside first.  

            "What do you have to say for yourself?" he asked after a long pause.  

            "Kill me," croaked Vincent weakly.  

            "What?" gulped Reeve in horror.  

            "My rages are becoming worse," whispered Vincent, "I am losing control of them."

            "Your rages?" asked Elena.  

            "You met one of them on the beach," said Vincent.  Elena and Reno exchanged a knowing look.   

            "They want to use her power for revenge," he added, "You must stop them."    

            "Revenge for what?" asked Reeve.  

            They stared at him expectantly, but he remained glumly silent.  

            "Well?" demanded Reno.  They heard the ugly sound of metal rasping against metal.  Vincent's claws flexed and extended.  

            "All the ugliness of my soul is contained within the rages," he said slowly, "The parts of me that want to hurt everyone as much as I've been hurt."  

            "How can you stop them?" asked Elena.  

            "They'll die if I die," replied Vincent with frightening equanimity, "It is a fate I deserve."  

            "Out of the question my friend," said Reeve flatly, "I don't want you on my conscience."  Vincent slowly looked up and met his gaze.  

            "It must be nice to have one," he said.  Reeve gestured to Elena and Reno.  The three of them stood to one side in a huddle, whispering urgently to each other.  After a few minutes, Reeve stepped back and nodded.  

            "Are you sure it will work?" he asked.

            "With him, I doubt it would be lethal," reminded Elena.  Reeve turned and faced Vincent sorrowfully.  

            "Are you sure this is what you want?" he asked.  

            "I'm already serving a life sentence," said Vincent darkly, "I would welcome oblivion."  Reeve sighed.  

            "Reno, Elena, escort our guest to the cryogenic storage facility," he instructed sadly.  

            "Look after Pandora" said Vincent.  

            "You have my word," he said grimly.

            "And tell her I'm sorry," added Vincent.  

            Pandora peered at the city lights of Midgar as they streaked past.  She was sitting in the passenger seat of a long sleek bullet shaped black car.  The glittering buildings towered overhead.  Rude sat at the wheels, the street lights reflecting off his glasses.  

            "Do you remember any of this?" he asked.  She turned from the window.  

            "Have I been here before?" she asked.  Rude glanced sideways at her for a moment.  He then turned left down a side alley.  The buildings loomed closely on either side.  At the other end was a ramp leading downward.  They raced down several stories until she saw a vast slum, precariously lying underneath a massive metallic ceiling.  The buildings looked like they had been recycled from the junked remains of the buildings above.  Smoke rose from dozens of chimneys which added to the haze.  

            "Where are we going?" she asked anxiously.  Rude didn't reply.  He drove down the winding earthen streets past junk piles and feral looking people.  He pulled to a stop in a large metal door that blocked the road.  Rude climbed out.  

            "Let's go," he said.  She nodded and climbed out as well.  They walked through a large notch cut in the door.  On the other side was a cathedral.  She peered up at the double oaken doors.  Rude walked up the steps and pushed one open.  He gestured for her to follow him.  She walked into the entrance and saw the long aisle leading to the altar.  Her footsteps echoed hollowly on the wooden boards as she walked between the pews, entranced.

            "What pretty flowers," she said kneeling next to the flowerbed.  

            "Do you like them?" asked Rude, hovering in the shadows nearby.  She looked up at him.  

            "Yes," she admitted, "But it feels strange."  

            "Strange?" echoed Rude, "How?"  Pandora laid a hand on the dirt.  

            "It feels warm," she said as she closed her eyes, "I can sense a lot of love here."  Rude felt his forehead breaking into a cold sweat.  The doors creaked open slowly behind them.  He turned to see a woman walking in, dressed in a sensible green dress with a white apron.  Her brown hair was tied up into a topknot and she was carrying a bag and a watering can.  

            "Ah more visitors," she said in a kindly voice as she walked down the aisle.  Pandora turned to face her.  

            "Mrs. Gainsborough…," began Rude quickly.  He wasn't fast enough.  Elmyra's face went as white as a sheet and she slumped sideways onto the floor.  Pandora gasped and held her hands to her face.  

            "Crap," muttered Rude, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.  

            Vincent and the Turks rode in the elevator in sullen silence.  When the floor read '33', the doors opened to reveal a vast under lit space.  A long catwalk ran between long rows of metal hemispherical domes, each one half a foot tall by three feet in diameter.  The only light was a soft blue glow filtering in through the grating on the floor of the catwalk.  Reno prodded Vincent and they walked down the passageway to the far end.  They came up to a large steel reinforced door.  

            "End of the road Boss," said Elena as she punched a number in the keypad.  

            "Don't call him that!" snapped Reno.  

            "Why not?" she demanded.  

            "He has a point," added Vincent.  

            "I don't need you help," countered Reno irritably.  

            The door rumbled open revealing a room that was fairly small, but surrounded by thick shielding on all sides.  A dome similar to the others outside rested on a central pedestal.  

            "They kept her here," said Vincent glancing around appreciatively.  Elena and Reno looked at him as he ran his claws lightly over the walls.  

            "What is it now?" asked Reno.  

"It was unwise of the planet to spare Cloud and I," he said as he turned to face them, "The memory of her cells still call to us," 

            "You mean the Jenova cells?" asked Elena.  Vincent covered his claws with his right hand and clenched them tightly.  

            "You must hurry Elena," he urged.  As she walked over to a wall mounted control panel Reno noticed Vincent's hands were shaking.  A large glass cylinder rose from the floor, mounted with thick glass.  A small circular hatch on the side swung open.  Vincent walked over and climbed inside.  Reno shut the hatch behind him and turned a small wheel to seal it tight.  Elena punched a small intercom switch.  

            "Are you ready Boss?" she asked.  Vincent stood there impassively and slowly nodded.  As Elena reached for a lever, Reno grabbed her hand.  

            "Give me five minutes with him," he said.  

            "Reno our orders are clear," began Elena pulling her hand away.  

            "Please!" he implored.  She glanced at Vincent and sighed as she walked through the large door.  Reno faced Vincent and lit up a cigarette.  

            "I'm the one who tipped off Cloud," he said quietly.  Vincent looked up, intrigued.  

            "Don't give me that," snapped Reno, "I knew he couldn't resist."

            "And you could get revenge," echoed Vincent's voice faintly out of the intercom.  

            "Yeah but this wasn't supposed to happen," continued Reno, "You weren't supposed to double cross us!"  

            "Or involve Pandora," added Vincent.  Reno paled and coughed.  

            "Where did she come from?" he demanded.

            "Shinra created her as a replacement for Aeris," mused Vincent, "But she has none of her memories."

            "What are they planning to use her for?" asked Reno weakly.  

            "You'll find out, won't you?" asked Vincent with a small grin.  Reno walked over to the controls.  As he reached for the controls, he heard Vincent's voice.  

            "Why did you tell me all this Reno?" he asked.  Reno didn't turn around.  

            "I dunno," he said with a frown, "I needed to tell someone I guess."  

            "Someone who won't talk," said Vincent.  

            "Better you than me pal," replied Reno.  He heard a faint sound of metal tapping against glass.

            "Do it," said Vincent quietly.  Reno pulled the switch.  He heard a strange hissing sound.  Once it subsided, he turned to glance at the tank.  It was now filled with eerily glowing blue fluid.  Vincent floated in the middle, his body covered with frost, like an ice sculpture.  Reno's eyes widened as he saw Vincent's hands were pressed against the glass.  Totally freaked out, hit a switch.  The cylinder retracted into the floor and several bolts locked it into place.  Then he got the hell out of there.  

            Elmyra Gainsborough slowly opened her eyes but all she saw was darkness.  She felt a wet cloth being lifted away from her eyes and she saw a ceiling made of intersecting wooden beams.  She was lying on a couch in the living room of a hexagonal house.  Two people looked down at her anxiously.  Her careworn face lit up as she grasped Pandora's hand.  She frowned a bit in puzzlement, as if she had not expected her hand to touch anything solid.  

            "Aerith my dear, I just had the strangest dream," she whispered.  Pandora rested her free hand on Elmyra's face.  

            "Don't worry, you'll be fine," she said soothingly.  

            "I dreamed you were gone," said Elmyra, trying to stem the tide of tears, "Cloud came and…."  

            "It's okay, I'm here," said Pandora her heart breaking.  Elmyra sat up and pulled her into an embrace.  They cried together as Rude walked over to a window and admired the view of the garden built on a series of round terraces.  He decided that he really needed a good stiff drink.  Elmyra pulled back a little and looked Pandora in the eyes.  With a slight frown, she placed her hands on either side of Pandora's face.  

            "What's wrong, don't you recognize me?" she asked.  

            "She has amnesia," said Rude as he turned from the window.

            "Areis?" asked Elmyra tentatively.

            "Who is Aeris?" asked Pandora.  

            "She was my daughter," said Elmyra trying desperately to smile, "You look exactly like her."  Pandora looked from her to Rude.  

            "Is that why everyone freaks out when they see me?" she asked.  Rude nodded.  She looked bewildered and lost.  

            "I don't remember any of this," she said, "This house, these people."  

            "What do you remember?" asked Elmyra taking her hand.  

            "I remember being in warm water," said Pandora distantly, "Then he came."

            "Cloud," suggested Elmyra.  

            "Vincent," she replied, "He said he would take care of me."  Elmyra shared a troubled glance with Rude.  

            "I want to remember more," she said helplessly, "But I can't!"  

            "Maybe I can help," prompted Elmyra, "Why don't you upstairs and get changed out of that suit?" Pandora nodded and walked up the staircase.  Elmyra turned to Rude.  

            "She's not really my daughter is she?" she asked, trying hard not to start crying again.  Rude looked down at the floor.  

            "I was hoping you could tell me lady," he replied absently. She sniffled as she rose and crossed over to a small kitchen nook.  

            "Every day I look at that door and expect her to come walking in at any moment," she said wistfully as she stacked some plates in a cupboard.  

            "I'm sorry," said Rude.  Elmyra stared at him as if she was noticing him for the first time.  She opened a cupboard and carried a tray of muffins over to him.

            "Have one," she said, offering the tray to him.  He stared at her in puzzlement as he took one.    They sat together on the couch and ate in silence together.  

            "These are really good," he said eventually.  

            "What will become of her?" asked Elmyra.  

            "I don't know," he replied, "But I will bring her back to you."

            "I've heard that promise before," she muttered sadly.  They heard the creak of floorboards above and turned toward the staircase.  Pandora slowly descended, dressed in a long pink dress with a short red jacket.  She wore round metal bracelets on her wrists and large boots on her feet.  She smiled self-consciously.  

            "I look funny, don't I?" she asked.  Elmyra brought her hands together.  Rude whipped off his sunglasses and openly gaped at her.  For the first time they could see his dark intense eyes.  Slowly Rude realized that he was now being stared at.  

"I'll be outside," he said sheepishly as put his sunglasses back on, "We'll need to leave for Reactor 8 soon."  As he left, Elmyra walked up to her.  

            "Do you remember wearing that dress before?" she asked.  Pandora shook her head.  

            "It feels familiar, but I can't think of a time when I wore something like this," she said.  Elmyra led her to couch where she sat down.  She pulled Pandora's hair back and began to braid it.  

            "Aeris liked to wear her hair like this," she explained.  

            "She's dead, isn't she?" asked Pandora numbly.  Elmyra's hand began to shake a little.  

            "Yes," she said.  

            "I'm sorry," said Pandora as she felt tears beginning to flow.  

            "Thank you my dear," said Elmyra, "But it wasn't your fault."  

            "It must have hurt you so much seeing me," said Pandora, "A pale imitation of your daughter."  Elmyra wrapped her arms around Pandora and hugged her from behind.  Pandora could here the woman sniffling.  

            "Just don't die," said Elmyra, "You must live my dear."  

            "Don't worry," said Pandora as she squeezed her hands, "Vincent will take care of me."

            "Be careful around Shinra," said Elmyra.  

            "I have to go," said Pandora reluctantly.  

            "Let me give you something first," said the woman as she stood up.  Pandora watched her walk over to a chest of drawers with vases of fresh cut flowers on top.  She returned with a picture and pressed it into Pandora's palms.  Pandora looked down to see a familiar looking girl standing in a field full of flowers.  She walked over to a mirror and compared her reflection to that of the girl in the photograph.  They were identical.  Pandora slumped to her knees and began shivering. 

            "It's me…but how," she stammered, "I don't understand."  Elmyra walked over and put a hand on her shoulder.  

            "Now you know how I felt when I saw you in the church," she said.  

            "I have to go," said Pandora as she stood up and ran out in a panic. Totally freaked out, she ran down the path into a seedy-looking cluster of metal buildings that formed a marketplace.  Rude was standing at a kiosk downing a tall glass of something clear and intoxicating.  She approached him.  

            "Mister Rude?" she asked.  He looked at her and nearly jumped out of his skin.  

            "Why did you come back?" he asked gloomily.  

            "You guys will help Vincent if I help you right?" she asked.  

            "But you belong back there," he countered.  

            "I just made things worse for her," said Pandora sadly.  Rude took a deep breath and handed her the Angel Guard.  

            "This was hers," he said, "I think you should have it."  Pandora ran her hands over the handle lightly as he drained the rest of his drink.  They walked over to his car and climbed in.  Rude switched the car in reverse and back into a corner, then drove off down the dirt road.  As the slums sped by, she turned to him.  

            "I know why you wear sunglasses now," she said with a faint smile.  

            "What?" asked Rude, trying to focus on driving.  

            "You don't want people to see how you feel," she added.  

            "You can't afford feelings in my line of work," he replied.  

            "But you still have them, don't you?" she asked.  

            "Maybe I'd be happier in another line of work then," he said.  They drove up the ramp and soon emerged in the glittering city above.  At the end of the street she could make out an enormous metallic cylinder built like a skyscraper-sized smokestack emblazoned with the number '08'.  Soon they were in its shadow.  They drove up to a high security gate.  A guard in blue held up a hand.  They pulled to a stop.  Rude handed him his identification.  

            "Please continue," he said, waving them through.   

            They drove through the gate into a long tunnel.  At the end were a small parking area and a very annoyed-looking Elena.  Rude climbed out of the car.  

            "Where the hell have you been?" she snapped, "I've been waiting for ages!"  

            "I was delayed," he said as he opened the passenger door.  Elena fell strangely silent as she saw Pandora step out.  She felt acutely self-conscious now that she understood why everyone looked at her the way they did.  

            "I'm ready," said Pandora.  

            "Let's go then," said Rude.  The three of them walked up to an elevator.  The doors opened and they climbed inside.  The doors closed behind them as they ascended up to the reactor.  

            Towards their fate.   


	6. Escape from Midgar

Chapter 6

            As the _Tiny Bronco_ passed over the wasted plains, Midgar loomed large on the horizon.  Even in the daytime, the city seemed to draw all the light into itself.  Cid frowned as he banked the plane.  Something was out of place.  They flew over the outer ring and could clearly see a series of giant pylons jutting out of the ground, like a half completed elevated highway.  Giant derricks lifted enormous pipes so that they were resting between the support beams.  Bright blue sparks of light illuminated where the work crews were welding pieces together.  Cloud gripped the strut forcefully.  

            "Those sons of bitches!" cursed Cid, "They're rebuilding the Sister Ray!"  

            "Stay high Cid," ordered Cloud, his mind racing.  Cid circled the plane around the Shinra Tower and flew off toward the city's edge again.  

            "What's the next move?" asked Cid.  

            "I'm thinking," replied Cloud.  

            "Where do we start looking?" asked Yuffie.

            "We can't stay up here forever!" called Tifa.  

            "I'm running on fumes as it is," groused Cid.  Cloud could barely hear the chirping noise over the roar of the engines.  He glanced at Cid with a puzzled expression then reached into his jacket.  He pulled out a small PHS phone and held it to his ear.  

            "What?" he yelled, "Please speak up!"  Cid glanced at him questioningly.  Cloud's face lit up with surprise.  

            "Of course!" he shouted, "I'll take care of it!"  

            "Who is it?" asked Cid.  Cloud didn't seem to hear him.  

            "Don't worry!" he yelled, "And thanks!"  Cloud hung up and leaned into the cockpit.  

            "Head for Mako Reactor 8!" he instructed.  

            "Who the hell was that?" demanded Cid.  

            "Elmyra," said Cloud.

            "Roger," said Cid, "We're gonna land this bucket!"  Cid dipped the wings and careened dangerously close to the tops of the residential buildings of Sector 8.  People on the streets ran for cover as Cid guided the _Tiny Bronco_ onto the main boulevard.  Cars screeched to a halt and honked angrily at them as they flew past.  

            "Don't worry," shouted Cid cheerfully, "I've done this before!"  

            "When?" asked Cloud with an arched eyebrow.  

            "Hey I was a kid once too you know!" retorted Cid with a wink.  The _Tiny Bronco_ gradually touched the pavement and began scouring two deep ruts into the road surface.  Cid pulled on the levers and the wing flaps flew up all at once.  The plane slowly skidded to a stop.  Cid killed the motor and removed the key.  

            "Piece of cake!" he exclaimed beaming.  

            "I think I'm going to be sick," said Yuffie as she cut herself free from the wing.  

            "I know what you mean," said Cloud looking pale.    

            They turned to face the massive reactor looming three blocks away at the end of the road.  A crowd of curious onlookers were shoved aside by soldiers dressed in blue.  

            "Let's get on with it," said Cloud as he drew his sword.  

            Inside Mako Reactor 8 the elevator doors opened to reveal a cavernous open space.  A long catwalk bridged a long chasm formed by two vertical walls.  A second catwalk met the first in the middle forming a T shape.  The far end of it ran through a rectangular door embedded just below the cylindrical stack.  Pandora walked down the long catwalk, flanked by Elena and Rude.  At the intersection, she glanced up at the enormous numerals '08' emblazoned on the tower before her.  The intersecting catwalk led into the heart of the reactor.  They emerged at the top of a cubical platform with a squat vent attached to the top.  After climbing down the staircase that wrapped around two sides of the platform they walked through another set of doors into the reactor core.  

The core was tall, with hexagonal walls.  A lone platform stretched across the vast empty space.  A hatch was mounted into the far wall.  A large throne sat in front of the hatch, connected to the reactor by dozens of wires.  The chair has wrist and ankle straps and sat under a strange glowing metal disc.  Technicians in white coats were adjusting the connections of a portable computer to the reactor.  Pandora looked over the scene fearfully.  One of the technicians, a man with silver hair and horn rimmed glasses approached them.  

            "I'm Oswald," he said, "Is this the subject?" Elena nodded.  

            "Looks like she's been introduced to external stimuli prematurely," he mused thoughtfully as he examined Pandora appraisingly.  

            "Prematurely?" asked Rude.  

            "Yes," said Oswald, "Naturally we prefer to indoctrinate clones directly after revival."  

            "What are you going to do to me?" asked Pandora as she eyed the machine uncertainly.  The technician arched an eyebrow.  

            "We have to program you with the appropriate memories and control protocols," he said dryly, "Although this explanation is wasted on you."  

            "Why is that?" asked Elena.  

            "Because, the indoctrination procedure will overwrite all her present memories, including this conversation," he intoned with a slightly bored expression.  Elena and Rude both stared at Pandora.  She hung her head.  

            "All right," she said meekly.  

            Rude led her to the chair.  She handed him the Angel Guard before she sat down.  Elena walked over and began attaching the ankle braces as Rude strapped her wrists to the armrests.  Pandora stared straight ahead at the fans slowly revolving in one of the far walls.  

            "Are they too tight?" asked Rude.  He grimaced and looked down to see her hand tightly gripping his.  

            "Please don't leave," she whispered desperately.  Rude nodded quietly.  

            "She's ready," said Elena as she took several steps back.  

            "Hey Turk," yelled a junior technician, "Could you move it?"

            "Make me," growled Rude.

            "Suit yourself," said Oswald, "Begin the procedure!"  The disc lowered and covered Pandora's face.  The reactor behind her began to power up with an eerie green glow.  

            "Reactor 8 is online!" yelled a technician.  

            "Power output steady!" yelled another.  

            "What's the status of the algorithms?" asked the lead technician.  

            "Input is green!" said a technician at the laptop.   

            "Start the indoctrination," commanded Oswald.  

            The disc fired up in a riot of prismatic colors.  Pandora's knuckles went white as her hand dug into Rude's.  He winced in pain as rested his free hand on top of hers.  

            "Compression rate is steady!" shouted a technician.  

            "Minimal backflow!" chimed in another technician.  Pandora's body began to tremble as the energy surged through her.  The flashing lights reflected off of Rude's sunglasses.  

            "Just forget about all this," he said quietly.  

            The entrance doors exploded off the hinges rebounding off nearby walls before tumbling noisily to the pit far blow.  The Turks and the technicians turned to see Cloud standing there with Yuffie and Tifa by his side.  

            "Don't them interrupt the procedure!" commanded Oswald waving a hand.  Yuffie cast with a green glow and the technicians slumped over their controls.  

            "A sleep spell?" said Elena.  

            "What are they doing to her?" breathed Tifa in horrified awe.  

            "Smash it!" ordered Cloud.  

            Tifa ran toward the computer and punched through it with her fist.  The computer sent out a shower of sparks and the entire reactor shut down, plunging to room into darkness.  

            "No!" screamed Oswald, "You can't do this!"  Cloud grabbed him by the collar and lifted him off the ground with one hand.  

            "Watch me," he said.  Oswald peered at his dimly glowing eyes.  

            "Wait, you're that failure!" he exclaimed.  

            "Only to people like you!" snapped Cloud icily.  Oswald grasped desperately onto Cloud's wrist with both hands.  

            "You still serve Shinra," he protested feebly, "You just don't realize it."  

            Cloud tossed him aside contemptuously.  Oswald landed limp as a rag doll on top of some steel canisters.  Holding out his sword cautiously, Cloud approached Rude and Elena.  

            "We can't just let you waltz in her and take her," protested Elena as she pointed at Cloud.  

            "Sure we can," said Rude leisurely.  

            "Rude!" exclaimed Elena.  Rude gently disengaged Pandora's hand from his and turned his back to them.  Elena sighed and dropped her arms to her sides.  Yuffie ran over and cut Pandora loose from the straps.  Cloud came over and gently raised the disc.  He examined the unconscious girl with a twinge of guilt mixed with sadness.  As Pandora's eyes fluttered open, it took her a moment to focus.  

            "Elena?" she asked staring past Cloud.  Elena gasped.  

            "You still remember me?" she asked.  Pandora slowly nodded.  She then looked back to Cloud.  

            "I don't know you," she said frowning slightly, "Have we met before?"  

            "You might say that," said Cloud with a wry smile, "I was your bodyguard."  She blinked up at him uncertainly.  Cloud held out his hand.  

            "Can you stand?" he asked gently.  She took his hand and got unsteadily to her feet.  She glanced next to her.  

            "Rude?" she asked.  Rude slowly turned to face her.  He picked up the Angel Guard and tossed it to her.  She caught it cautiously.  

            "Go quickly," he said, "More soldiers will be coming soon."  

            She looked back at Elena and Rude as Cloud led her down the catwalk.  Tifa smiled to them as she and Yuffie followed them out.  

            "Pity about that," mused Elena.  

            "Hmm?" asked Rude.  

            "She would have made one hell of a Turk," she said with a smirk.  

             On the 33rd floor of the Shinra building, Reno frowned as the lights in Sector 8 winked out.  He stared at his reflection in the panoramic windows as he retrieved his radio from his pocket and spoke into it.  

            "Hey Elena, what's up with the reactor?" he asked.  He waited for a long time but heard nothing but static.  

            "Rude, come in big guy," he said.  Again he waited.  Suddenly it began beeping frantically.  

            "Reno," said Reeve's voice crackling over the static, "Don't worry, everything is fine."  

            "Mister President?" he inquired doubtfully, "Are you sure about that?"

            "Cloud can have her for now," he replied, "It won't affect our long term goals."  Reno pondered this for a moment.  Then he heard the distant sound of breaking glass.  He frowned and walked into the cryogenic room.  He walked down the catwalk and punched in the code.  As the door slowly rumbled up Reno saw freezing blue fluid flowing out from under it.  Standing in the middle of the room was a pale lumbering giant with limbs that were sewn on.  It had spiky yellow hair and bolts protruded from its shoulders and mouth.  It turned to face him and regarded him with glowing red eyes.  

            "Crap!" he yelled as he sealed the door hastily.  The door immediately began vibrating and denting in from the force of the blows on the other side.  Reno ran to the far end of the room and pushed a red lever.  Blast doors came down and sealed the chamber off.  He hit an intercom.  

            "Security to the 33rd floor!" he shouted.  

            "Reno what's happening?" asked Reeve's voice over the radio.  Soldiers in blue and red uniforms rushed down the corridors on either side of him.  

            "We've got a live one!" barked Reno.  The soldiers formed two firing lines down the side corridors.  He joined the front ranks on the right side.  They charged up their rifles as he pulled out a new electroshock rod.  They heard distant rumbling and crashes on the far side of the blast doors.  

            "Show him no mercy!" admonished Reno, "Because he sure as hell won't!"  The blast door vibrated and cracked apart as a fist punched through it.  The Death Gigas lumbered out into the hallway as the soldiers opened fire, pummeling it with energy blasts.  It roared and electricity arced off its body.  It sent out yellow bolts that shot through the soldiers standing next to Reno.  They slumped heavily to the ground.  

            "Shit!" cursed Reno as he realized his weapon would be useless against an electrical monster.  The soldiers behind him opened another volley that sent the Death Gigas flying backwards.  Reno furiously wondered what had caused Vincent to berserk again.  He had been frozen and immobile this time.  The Death Gigas bellowed and dove through one of the plate glass windows.  The soldiers rushed to the window and peered down into the darkness.  

            "That's a thirty storey drop!" exclaimed one of the soldiers.

            "He couldn't survive a fall like that," said another soldier.  

            "Unless he's climbing down!" snapped Reno, "Send out search patrols!"  The soldiers saluted and ran off as medics tended to the wounded.  Reno swore under his breath as he lit a cigarette.  

            Cloud peered across the city as they emerged on the rooftop of Reactor 8.  He smiled faintly as he heard the rumble of engines.  Tifa and Yuffie leapt off the roof and landed on the _Tiny Bronco_'s wings as it flew past.  

            "Get ready to jump!" yelled Cloud as the plane circled around for another pass.   

            "I can't, it's too far!" exclaimed Pandora fearfully.  Cloud sighed and picked her up in his arms.  

            "Hold onto me!" he said.  She put her arms around his neck and clung fiercely to him as he made a running leap off the rooftop.  He landed on one wing heavily, making it dip.  As the plane seesawed he quickly sprinted to the center of the wing.  They lay flat and clutched to the sheet metal as the plane careened over the outer districts of Midgar.  

            "You got her?" shouted Cid from the cockpit.  

            "Cid!" shouted Pandora.  He looked up at her and grinned.  

            "Glad you made it!" he said with relief.  

            "Head for Cosmo Canyon!" ordered Cloud.  

            "Why?" asked Yuffie from the left wing.  

            "I need Nanaki's help," replied Cloud, "If the planet's really in danger, he'll know what to do."  

            "First we have to refuel," said Cid, "I'll put us down in Kalm."   The _Tiny Bronco_ wobbled uncertainly off to the north of Midgar.  

            Vincent came to vaguely aware of the cool touch of stone to his face.  He opened his eyes slowly and saw a vast circular expanse of polished black marble that made up the floor of the cavern.  It had once been natural, but the floor had been leveled near the entrance.  He could see daylight faintly through the flow of water cascading on the other side of the cave entrance.  With numbing dread he turned his head to face the other way.  Lying on the floor in front of him was the Death Penalty.  Beyond it was a small staircase leading up to a platform in front of a round shimmering white portal nestled in a sea of stalagmites.  

            "Lucrecia," he whispered.  Inside the glowing portal a woman appeared.  Her golden brown hair was tied up in a ponytail and she wore a sensible dress underneath a lab coat.  She regarded Vincent with hazel eyes that looked forever beyond his reach.  

            "Vincent," said Lucrecia distantly, "How long has it been?"  

            "Too long," he said pulling himself up into a sitting position.  He rested his hand lightly on the stock of the Death Penalty.   

            "I don't know how I got here," he mused.  

            "You were compelled to see me," she said, "Did you come to tell me about Sephiroth?"  Vincent looked up at her, fear gripping him like a vice.  

            "Yes," he said eventually.  

            "How is he?" she asked hopefully, "You saw him, didn't you?"  

            "I saw him," replied Vincent, "I'll bring him to you soon."  Lucrecia smiled benevolently to him.  

            "And Professor Hojo and President Shinra, he added grimly, "I'll bring them all to you."  

            "Please hurry," she urged, "I've waited so long."  Vincent nodded, the fear draining out of him as quickly as it had come.  

            "I will free you Lucrecia my love," he whispered darkly, "Even if I must become the devil himself to do it."  How weak he really was to his feelings, he reflected.  Fate was his true master and he now knew he could no longer fight it.  Only by surrendering to the dark could he free her.  He dropped his claws to the ground and began to score deep scratches into the rock.  


	7. Cosmo Canyon

Chapter 7

            The sunrise cast a thousand shades of red and gold across the walls of the meandering canyons.  Tall spires of natural rock stood proudly over deep fissures and gullies which were lost in shadow and seemed nearly bottomless.  Pandora held on the edge of the wing of the _Tiny Bronco_ and gaped at the view as the wind whistled through her hair.  

            "Wow!" she exclaimed, "It's beautiful!"  Cid glanced back at her for a moment from the pilot's seat.  He couldn't help but grin.  

            "You sound like some goddamn kid!" he yelled.  Cloud sighed and shook his head, but he was more cheerful than exasperated.  It felt like the cobwebs that had covered his soul had been lifted.  He hadn't been truly happy since Niebelheim.  Sephiroth and the fire he brought.  Even his triumphs and friendships since then were always marred by tragedy.  Perhaps he wasn't that different from Vincent: doomed and haunted.  

            "Cloud?" asked Tifa looking worried.  He looked toward her and smiled ruefully.  

            "I'm fine," he said.  

            "There she is!" shouted Cid, "Cosmo Canyon!"  They followed his gaze to the village built precariously into the side of a plateau that curved backwards.  A long staircase connected a middle tier to a cluster of huts on stilts built around a central campfire.  Above that a winding staircase led into caves in the rock.  A large observatory crowned the top of the village, with a large telescope protruding out of a circular dome.  Cid circled around once and steered toward the middle tier.  

            "Hold on to your britches!" barked Cid.  

            The _Tiny Bronco_ skidded to a halt along the rocky soil.   As the propellers died down Cid climbed up and untied Pandora's waist cord.  She smiled gratefully.  

            "Thank you Cid," she said bowing, "It was an exciting trip."  Cid became uncharacteristically bashful.  

            "Yeah, anytime," he muttered.  

            "Hey Jichan, can you untie me too?" called Yuffie with an impish grin.  

            "My knot's not coming undone either," chimed in Tifa cheerfully.  Cid reddened and jumped off the wing and ran up the stairs.   Cloud sighed.  Tifa and Yuffie laughed as they untied themselves.  

            "He's such a pushover," said Yuffie.  

            "I think we should go and apologize," suggested Tifa becoming suddenly serious.  

            "Give him a minute," said Cloud thoughtfully, "He needs some time alone."  They all jumped to the ground.  

            "I can't wait to see the big furball again," said Yuffie to Tifa as they climbed up the long staircase.  Tifa turned and saw Cloud and Pandora still at the bottom.  

            "We'll be along shortly," said Cloud.  Tifa nodded and walked up the stairs somewhat glumly.  Yuffie picked up on that.  

            "What's wrong?" she asked.  Tifa glanced at her.  

            "I want Cloud to be happy," she said with a long sigh, "Even if it's not with me."  Yuffie gasped softly.  

            "You don't mean," she began.  

            "He never got over Aeris," said Tifa sadly, "Just like Vincent never got over Lucrecia."  

            "So they're both trapped," mused Yuffie, "I'm such a selfish brat."  Tifa blinked in surprise.  

            "How so?" she asked.  

            "I thought I knew what pain and suffering were," said Yuffie self-loathingly, "But it's nothing compared to what they went through."  

            "Don't be so hard on yourself," said Tifa reassuringly, "We all have pain in our lives."  

            "And we can't face the future until we let the past go," said Yuffie.    

            "I'm hoping she can help him," added Tifa.  Yuffie looked up at her but her face was unreadable.  

At the base of the stairs Pandora watched Yuffie and Tifa climb up and out of sight.  She turned to Cloud.  

            "What is it?" she asked.  Cloud looked at her uncomfortably.  She looked so much like Aeris it was almost painful to look at her.  He decided it was time to add the last nail to the coffin.  

            "Close your eyes," he said.  After she closed her eyes, she heard him walk around and felt her hair being tugged gently.  She reached back with her hands and felt a ribbon tied to the back of her head.  She opened her eyes and looked at him questioningly.  He was examining it appraisingly.  

            "Perfect," he said, "It's been a while since I've tied a ribbon though."  She smiled slightly.  

            "When did you ever wear a ribbon?" she asked.  He laughed self-consciously and rubbed his head.  

            "Ancient history," he said hastily, "Let's go Aeris."  That single word stopped her dead in her tracks.  Cloud obliviously walked up the staircase.  She looked after him and wondered if she could ever match the ideal this man had in his heart.  After a moment, she ran after him.  

On the 65th floor of Shinra building, Reno stood outside Reeve's office tapping his foot impatiently.  The elevator chimed behind him and he turned to see Elena and Rude walking towards him.  

"About time you guys got here!" he groused, "All hell is breaking loose out there!"  

"It's been a long day Reno," grumbled Elena.  

"Time to pay the piper," said Rude as the doors opened in front of them.  They walked into Reeve's office to find him leaning over his desk intently reading an old dusty parchment.  

"Have a seat," said Reeve, too engrossed to look up.  The Turks quietly took some seats.  Elena cleared her throat.  

"Did the girl escape?" asked Reeve eventually.  

"Yes," said Elena nervously.  

"And how about Vincent?" asked Reeve.  

"Yeah," said Reno.  

"Excellent," said Reeve as he took a seat behind the desk.  The Turks glanced at each other then back to him expectantly.  He couldn't help but chuckle at their mystified expressions.  

"Only together can they redeem the future of humanity," he elaborated, "With a little help from us."  

"How is that possible?" asked Elena.  Reeve shoved a stack of books aside and pushed the parchment toward Elena.  She stood and put her hands at the desktop as she looked over the delicate black etchings in the long yellowing scroll.  It looked centuries old and depicted a castle or tower built on a hill surrounded by clusters of tiny huts clinging precariously to the foundations.  Rude and Reno stood up and looked over her shoulder.  

"It looks a little like Midgar," said Rude.  Reeve smiled benevolently at Rude.

"Very good," said Reeve, "This is the earliest known woodblock printing of Midgar."  

"What does this writing mean?" asked Elena, running a gloved finger over the elegant script on the margins.  

"It names the eight villages of Midgar," explained Reeve pointing out each cluster of huts in turn, "Hokhmah, Binah, Hesed, Din, Tiferet, Nezah, Hod, and Shekhinah."

"You're talking about the Sectors!" exclaimed Reno, "The eight Sectors!"

            "Ten," corrected Reeve with amusement.  

            "Where's the other two?" asked Elena.  

            "You're standing in one of them," he replied.

            "The Shinra building?" asked Rude.  

            "This was a castle?" asked Reno still disbelieving.  

            "A thousand years ago it was," said Reeve, "On the plains of Midgar the Ancients built Keter Elyon, the divine citadel."

            "Who built the villages?" asked Elena.  

            "The humans of this planet," said Reeve, "But with the sealing of Jenova, the age of Ancients passed."  They stared mutely at each other.  

            "Now the age of humans is about to pass," said Reeve, "The fulfillment of the Neo-Midgar project."  

            "Neo-Midgar?" asked Rude, "Isn't that the plates and the reactors?"  

            "Follow me," said Reeve leading them out of his office.  They followed him down into the elevator.  He inserted his key and all the elevator buttons lit up.  He punched ten buttons rapidly, seemingly at random.  The elevator began to move down.  They watched the numbers scroll past until they got to the 1st floor.  It then continued to descend further, the floor number going blank.  

            "What the hell?" said Reno.  Reeve gestured for him to be quiet.  What felt like a plunge of another thirty stories the elevator came to a rest and the doors opened with a chime.  They entered a huge dark cavernous space and felt a cool chilly breeze.  

            "How far underground are we?" asked Elena straining to see the dark.  Small red lights in sconces dimly illuminated a wide circular metal catwalk extending around the girth of the ebon space in either direction.  

            "About fifty stories," said Reeve putting his hands in his pockets.

            "Where are we?" asked Rude.  

"The Ancients called this place Yesod, the foundation," he explained, "President Shinra called it Mako Reactor Zero Prime."  He flicked a switch and dozens of spotlights illuminated a tall conical structure in the center of the room that spiraled in a corkscrew shape and plunged into the ceiling hundreds of feet above their heads.  It was made of rock but it looked strangely organic.  The Turks were reminded of the wasted cities in the North Cave and the Temple of the Ancients.  Hundreds of small spikes protruded out of its surface.  

"That's a Mako Reactor?" breathed Elena.  

"Not exactly," stated Reeve, "But what the excavators learned from it allowed Shinra to build its first Mako Reactor."  Elena looked and saw there were elaborate patterns carved into the cylindrical walls of the chambers.  The only modern things were the catwalk and the eight pipes connected to the top of the spire.  Each pipe looked wide enough to drive a locomotive through.

"This is connected to the Mako Reactors on the surface!" she said.  

"President Shinra hoped the power from the eight Reactors would be enough to reignite Zero Prime," said Reeve wistfully, "But he didn't live to see his dream."  

"Neither did any of the other executives," pointed out Reno.  

"Except for you," added Rude.  

"I have inherited their legacy," admitted Reeve grimly, "And I intend to see it through."  

In Cosmo Canyon, Pandora didn't even make it to the top of the stairs before she saw a small girl running towards her.  She had chestnut hair cut short and was wearing a light blue dress.  

"Yay, yay!" she yelled, "It's the flower lady!"  Pandora blinked in surprise as the girl leapt into her arms.   

"Now be a good girl Marlene," chided Cloud gently.  

"I will big brother," she said nodding eagerly.

"It's alright," said Pandora hastily, "You've grown up so much I didn't recognize you."  Marlene smiled and hugged her.  

"I cried so much when you went away," she said earnestly, "I thought you didn't like me anymore."  

"Oh sweetie, I could never hate you," said Pandora exchanging a painful glance with Cloud, "I came back as soon as I could."  

"Promise never to go away again?" asked Marlene hopefully.  Pandora set her on the ground and held out her pinkie and Marlene interlaced it with her own.  

"I promise," said Pandora.  They all turned to see a large flame colored cat walking towards them.  He had a scar over one eye and wore an elaborate headdress made of feathers and had extensive tattooing on his flanks including the number 'XIII'.  He regarded Pandora with an expression of intense curiosity.  

"Welcome to Cosmo Canyon," he said inclining his head slightly, "I am the chieftain, Nanaki, son of Seto."  Pandora looked at Cloud and Marlene and returned the bow.  

"Thank you for your kindness," she said, "My name is Aeris Gainsborough."  Marlene giggled.  

"You silly guys, she said, "You already know each other!"  

"A mere formality my dear," said Nanaki brightly, "Come join us by the campfire."  They walked together to a large campfire.  Tifa, Yuffie, and Cid were already waiting, along with a massively muscled dark skinned man with a right hand made of steel.  He had black hair and rust eyes and wore a black vest over olive green pants.  Marlene ran over to him.  

"Daddy, look!" she exclaimed, "See the flower lady?"  

"Yeah I see her," he rumbled in a bass voice, "I'll be damned!"  

"Watch your goddamned mouth Barrett," snapped Cid archly, "Show some class for once."  

"Why don't you make me you old coot!" he retorted.  Nanaki politely cleared his throat.  

"If we could begin," he said calmly, "Perhaps I can help you to understand this new threat to the planet."  

"Where should we begin?" inquired Cloud.  Marlene sat on Pandora's lap and began pulling materia out of the handle of the Angel Guard.  

"Perhaps I should tell you that the President of Shinra visited me a year ago," replied Nanaki.  He measured their surprise carefully.  

"He was here?" asked Tifa as she folded her arms across her chest.  

"He wanted to learn the eventual fate of the planet," said Nanaki evenly, "I confirmed his suspicions."

"What were they?" asked Cloud.

"The Lifestream is receding," explained Nanaki, "It is gathering toward the planet's core."  

"Why?" asked Yuffie.

"How?" demanded Barrett.  Nanaki looked at each of them in turn before continuing.  

"The Lifestream has been severely weakened by absorbing the impact of the meteor," he stated, "It needs time to recover from its injuries."  

"Aw shit!" muttered Barrett with a deep sigh.  

"What about the surface?" asked a worried Pandora.

"The further it retreats from the surface, the less life can live here," replied Nanaki sadly.

"Reeve said that he's trying to save humanity," said Tifa thoughtfully, "How can he do that?"  

"I suspect he hopes he can use your friend here to change the course of the Lifestream," said Nanaki.  

"Me?" said Pandora, "I don't even know how."  

"You have instincts," explained the cat fixing its golden eye at her, "You will sense what to do when the time is right."  

"What about Vincent?" asked Cloud as he interlaced his fingers.

"He wants to free Lucrecia," said Cid, "You think he can do that using the Lifestream?"  

"If he can bring the Lifestream to her, maybe she can become part of it," suggested Tifa.  

"That makes sense," said Cloud, "And I don't blame him for that."  

"If that's all he plans to do," added Nanaki.  They looked at Pandora expectantly.  

            "He hasn't told me of his plans," she said quickly, "But I'm worried about him."  

            "We worry about him as well," stated Nanaki, "He helped us to save the planet."  

            "As did you," added Cloud quickly, "You sacrificed more…."  His voice trailed off suddenly.  Pandora stared at him until he dropped his gaze.  

            "Please go on," she said.  He shook his head.  She sighed quietly to herself.  

            "Let us rest my friends," suggested Nanaki, "Your need to regain your strength."  Barrett stretched and walked over to Pandora and scooped up Marlene is his massive arms.    

            "Say goodnight to the flower lady," he said regarding Pandora with a level gaze.  

            "Night!" said Marlene cheerfully.  Pandora smiled.  Barrett pulled the green materia out of his daughters grip with his steel hand.  Pandora held out her hand and he dropped it into her palm.  

            "Goodnight Barrett," she said hopefully.  

            "Night," he murmured.  Pandora popped the materia back into its proper slot as he walked off into the darkness.  Tifa glanced at her as she followed Yuffie to one of the huts.  

            "Nice ribbon," she said.  Automatically her hand went up to the ribbon in her hair.  

            Later that night Pandora opened her eyes.  She was in a dark room in a wooden hut perched high above the ground.  Firelight flickered through the slats in the walls.  She turned to her left and saw Yuffie and Tifa asleep in bunks next to her.  She sat up and quietly dressed in the dark and then stepped out onto a balcony overlooking the campfire.  She leaned her elbows on the railings and stared down into the flickering flames.  

            "Fire is an agent of change," whispered a voice in the dark.  Pandora gasped and whirled to see Vincent emerge from the nearby shadows into the firelight.  Her fear melted away as she felt the warmth of his love in his eyes.    

            "You've grown child," he said quietly, "Do you remember me?"  Pandora searched his gaze and knew the answer.  

            "Master," she said kneeling before him.  He frowned and pulled her gently back to her feet.  

            "I will be your guardian," he corrected, "You are no longer an orphan of the planet."  She nodded eagerly.  He hesitantly reached out to her with his claws.  She pulled them to her face and felt the cool sharpness of the claws on her cheek as she closed her eyes.  

            "What must I do?" she asked.  

            "What do you wish for more than anything else?" he asked.  She opened her eyes and stared at him imploringly.  

            "I want to know the truth about Aeris," she said.  

            "No matter what the cost?" he asked looking saddened.  She nodded firmly.  He dropped his arms to his sides and walked around the corner.  She followed him and saw a jet black chocobo perched on the railing.  She smiled as she ran her hands over the dark plumage.  The giant bird nuzzled her with its beak.

            "She's beautiful," she said, "What's her name?"   

            "Penumbra," he replied, "It means 'edge of the shadow'."  He climbed onto its back and held out his hand.  She took it and he pulled her onto the saddle behind him.  

            "Hold on tight," he said.  She gripped his cape tightly as he snapped the reigns softly and Penumbra ran down one of the support beams of the hut.  She ran across the courtyard and then down the vertical canyon wall.  Penumbra ran up the opposite side as if it were a small ditch.  Pandora began to feel dizzy.  

            "How is she doing that?" she asked as they plunged down another gully.  Vincent glanced at her and steered the chocobo to the top of the canyon.  

            "She's the offspring of mountain and river chocobos," he explained, "Although she can't cross oceans like Midas can."  

            "Midas?" inquired Pandora.  

            "Cloud's golden chocobo," he elaborated, "Penumbra is his mother."  They rode on in silence for a while.  

            "Where are we going?" she asked eventually.  He looked back at her.

            "We're going to meet Aeris," he replied.  She clutched his cape more tightly.  They continued on into the night, both of them full of hope and fear.


	8. Icicle Inn

Chapter 8

            Reeve watched the moonlight reflect off the Sister Ray.  It was made of a giant cylindrical barrel that extended nearly the length of a plate.  It was supported by twin hydraulic lifts halfway down the length.  At the back it was connected to a large rectangular stock.  Three pairs of small control cylinders were mounted on the top of the stock.  From his office window, Reeve could tell it was nearly finished.  Soon his dream would be fulfilled, and Shinra would be redeemed.  He turned to Oswald and the Turks.  

            "How much longer before the Sister Ray is operational?" he inquired.  Oswald adjusted his glasses.  

            "Less than twelve hours," he replied evenly.

            "Can it run on six Mako Reactors?" asked Reeve.  Oswald nodded.  

            "We can bypass Mako Reactors 1 and 5," he stated, "We'll get less power output of course."  Reeve rubbed his chin thoughtfully.  

            "That's fine," he said eventually.  

            "What's the target?" asked Elena.  Reeve began to laugh.  Reno frowned and folded his arms across his chest.  

            "Care to share the joke Mister President?" he asked irritably.  

            "Aim it at the moon for all I care!" exclaimed Reeve between chuckles.  The Turks glanced at each other and wondered again if their President had gone nuts.  

            "Sir, what are your orders?" asked Rude.  Reeve leaned across his desk.  

            "Take the _Highwind_ and return to the Waterfall Cave," he instructed, "Vincent's a creature of habit."  

            "And he'll have to observe his handiwork in person," added Reno.  

            "Exactly," chimed in Elena.  They left through the main doors and took the elevators to the flight deck.  From there they could see a panoramic view of the entire city of Midgar at night.  They could see the moving lights of automobiles and trains as they made their way between the mazes of buildings.  

            "It's almost pretty at night," said Elena.  

            "It is impressive," said Rude.  

            "We're not here for the view," countered Reno.  Elena and Rude ignored him.  Suddenly the Number 2 Mako Reactor fired up, spewing out bright green smoke.  

            "What the hell?" said Rude.  

            "Looks like it's starting," said Elena.  They watched as the other five remaining Mako Reactors lit up in sequence.  Once again the entire city of Midgar was bathed in the infernal green glow of Mako energy.  Giant cables drew power from them into the Sister Ray.  The Turks wordlessly boarded the _Highwind_ and it rocketed off toward the horizon.  

            The black chocobo made its way across the frozen wastes of the Northern Continent.  Pandora was wrapped up in Vincent's crimson cloak and tried not to let the biting cold bother her.  Vincent seemed immune to the cold and almost anything else.  She followed his gaze to the bright crystalline stars scattered in the night sky overhead.  Faint ribbons of light streamed overhead.  

            "The Northern Lights," he explained.  She nodded and marveled at the bright beauty of it all.  

            "It must have been so lonely," said Vincent, "Traveling the vast empty reaches of space."  Pandora stared at him uncomprehendingly.  

            "Who was traveling?" she asked.  He stared at her, his expression barely hinting at the depth of pain he felt.  

            "Jenova," he said, "A cruel stepmother to this Planet."  Pandora dared not ask any further questions.  A line of cottages came into view at the peak of a snow-capped mountain.  Vincent snapped the reigns and Penumbra sprinted up the slope and into the main street of the village.  

            "Icicle Inn," said Vincent gesturing around him.  Penumbra padded over to a small hut with a stable built next to it.  Vincent dismounted and held out his hand.  Pandora took it and hopped to the ground.  Vincent rapped on the door.  The owner, a middle aged man with gray hair peered out.  

            "Yeah?" he asked.  

            "How much?" asked Vincent pointing to the stable.  

            "How many nights?" countered the owner.  

            "One," replied Vincent.

            "It'll be 500 Gil," he said.  Vincent paid him and led Penumbra into the stable.  Then he gestured Pandora to follow him.  They walked up to a nondescript cottage, similar to the others with rustic wooden beams and a steep roof.  Inside it was dry and dusty, with a square room with wooden flooring covered by a green carpet.  At the far of the room was a long table.  Against the north wall stood an array of strange mechanical equipment including a phonograph and a video monitor.  What little moonlight there was filtered from outside through an X shaped slit in the wall.  Vincent walked down the short flight of stairs from the door and peered around in the gloom.  He flicked a switch on one of pieces of equipment and the slit opened wider.  Pandora pulled off the cloak and walked into the middle of the room.  Her eye caught framed photographs on the far wall.  She peered over at the first one, a sensible looking man with dark hair and moustache.  He wore glasses and a lab coat.  His arm was draped around a woman with long brown hair that fell past her waist.  She was wearing in a pink dress.  In her arms was a small baby bundled up in white cloth.  

            "That's Professor Gast and Ifalna," said Vincent, "Her true parents."  

            "Is that Aeris?" asked Pandora as she stared at the baby.  Vincent nodded.  She walked over to a second picture.  It showed Professor Gast again, this time posing with several other researchers in a laboratory.  One was a surly looking young man with dark hair and glasses.  Next to him stood a woman with golden brown hair tied into a ponytail.  She had a superior smile on her face.  

            "Professor Hojo and Lucrecia," elaborated Vincent, "They performed research on biological specimens."  Pandora saw a third man standing next to Lucrecia, only partially visible with raven hair and an intense stare.  He was dressed in a dark suit.  Pandora turned around and saw an identical expression on Vincent's face.  

            "That's you?" she asked.  When he nodded she ran a finger on the surface of the picture and disturbed a thick layer of dust.  

            "But you haven't aged," she protested, "How long ago was that picture taken?"  He put a hand on her shoulder.  

            "A long time ago," he replied, "Before you were born."   She glanced uncertainly at the picture again.  

            "What did they do you?" she whispered.  He held up his claws in front of her face.  

            "This was a present from Professor Hojo," he replied, "The Hand of Glory."  

            "What is it?" she asked fearfully.  

            "In legend it was made from the hand of a dead criminal," he explained, "It was used to unlock hidden doors."  She began to cry.  He wiped a tear away carefully with the tip of a claw.  

            "Why do you weep for me child?" he asked.  She grasped his claws with both her hands.  

            "How could he do this to you?" she asked.  

            "Because I loved her," he said gazing at the woman in the picture, "But she loved Hojo more."  Pandora nodded.  

            "I could accept that," he continued, "But when he wanted to experiment on her, I tried to stop him."  

            "And you failed?" she whispered.  

            "I did worse than fail," he said pulling away from her and walking towards a dark corner.  He gestured to a staircase in the opposite corner leading down.  

            "There's a bed," he said, "Get some rest."  Meekly she obeyed, descending into the bedroom below.  

            In Cosmo Canyon, Cloud waited until everyone had gathered inside the fire circle before he spoke.  

            "She's gone again," he said simply.  Tifa and Yuffie looked guilty.  

            "I'm sorry I didn't wake up," said Tifa miserably.  He smiled faintly and shook his head.  

            "It's not your fault," he said, "But we need to find her quickly."  

            "What if she chose to go with Vincent?" asked Nanaki.  Cloud looked horrified at the thought.  

            "He might be controlling her," suggested Cid.  Barrett cursed under his breath.

            "Not this shit again," he muttered.  

            "How do we find them?" asked Yuffie.  

            "There is a way," mused Nanaki, "But it's dangerous."  Cloud stared at him intently.  

            "Show us," he said.  

A few minutes later they stood in the planetarium chamber inside the observatory.  They stood on circular platform mounted under a dome with the images of the sun and planets.  Cloud threw a switch and the platform rose until they were level with the ceiling.  Nanaki adjusted the imager so the Planet filled the sky.  

            "Are you sure about this Cloud?" he asked.  Cloud nodded.  

            "Whatever it takes," he stated.  

            "This is against my better judgment," said Nanaki, "You know that both you and Vincent have Jenova cells inside your bodies?"  

            "Yeah it was part of the…," began Cloud but he trailed off suddenly looking pensive.  

            "The cells call to each other," said the big cat, "Sephiroth used that power to call the clones to him for the reunion."  Cloud began to see where this was going.  

            "So if I concentrate enough, I can locate Vincent," he said quickly.  

            "It's risky to use their power," countered Nanaki, "The cells have a strong will and may end up controlling you."  

            "It's happened before," reminded Tifa.  

            "And we won't always be here to bail out your spiky ass," rumbled Barrett.  

            "I'll keep that in mind," replied Cloud with a small grin.  He looked over to Nanaki, who sighed deeply.  

            "Still a foolish boy," he said, "Close your eyes and draw your mind out as if casting a net."  Cloud closed his eyes and mentally reached out into space.  He felt the cool void between the ageless stars, the warmth of the sun as it hit the Planet.  An ancient rage boiled up inside of him.  The inhabitants of the Planet were mere insects that could be swatted as necessary.  Cloud gritted his teeth and realized this anger wasn't his own.  It was hers.  He tried to drown out her voice but it became louder and more insistent.  Flames erupted around him.  He looked around to see a small snowbound village starting to burn.  People ran out in to the snow banks, in fear of their lives.  Cloud saw a shimmering form standing among the flames.  It turned and looked up at him peering through red glowing eyes.  Giant bat wings unfolded on its back and it lunged straight at him.  

            "No!" yelled Cloud as he drew out his sword.  He swung the blade wildly and stopped when he saw he was back in the planetarium.  Cloud blinked still pale with shock.  Tifa ran over to him and gently pushed his sword down.  

            "It's okay, everything's alright," she said reassuringly.  She caught him as he started to collapse and pulled his arm over her shoulder. 

            "You're right it was a bad idea," he said numbly, "I saw Icicle Inn in flames."  Tifa flinched at the thought.  

            "What the hell is he doing there?" demanded Barrett.  

            "That's on the way to the North Cave," suggested Yuffie.  

            "Or the City of the Ancients," countered Cid.  

            "That's the wrong way Jichan," pointed out Yuffie.  

            "Does he have to go in a straight line?" retorted Cid.  

            "We'll split up and go both places," ordered Cloud, "Cid, take Yuffie and go to the North Cave."

            "You got it," said Cid.  

            "I'll go with Tifa to the City of the Ancients," continued Cloud.

            "What about me?" demanded Barrett.  

            "Are you sure you want to be involved on this fool's errand?" asked Cid cheerfully.  

            "Damn straight!" exclaimed Barrett clenching his metallic fist.  

            "Marlene will be safe here," added Nanaki.  They all regarded each other intently.  

            "Let's go," said Cloud.  

            In Icicle Inn Vincent put a hand to his forehead and sat up suddenly.  He felt a splitting headache coming on.  Pandora was sitting front of one of the video monitors, staring blankly at a screen full of static.  

            "You weren't watching the videos all night were you?" he asked softly.  She turned to him and nodded.  

"They had so much hope," she said in quiet despair, "And it was all taken away from them."  

"The Turks pursued Ifalna to the ends of the Planet," said Vincent sadly, "She lasted long enough to give the infant Aeris to Elmyra."  Pandora let that sink in.  

"I met her," said Pandora, "She was nice to me."  He crossed over to her rubbing his forehead absently.  

            "You look awful," she said in a worried tone, "What's wrong?"  

            "We have to go quickly," he said, "That is if you still want to learn the truth."  Pandora felt fearful but determined.   

            "I have to know," she said simply.  

            Soon they were back on Penumbra, riding over mountain peaks toward the southern edge of the continent.  The black chocobo ran into a deep valley, with frozen glaciers on either side.  An inverted white cone loomed at the far end.  As they got closer they could make out that the cone was made up of a long twisted series of interconnected pale braches tightly bundled together.  The base was sheltered under enormous leaf shaped canopies.  Penumbra ran along a road that looked like it was lined with bones.  They made their way among ruined buildings that looked like giant whelk shells.  They reached the center of the white forest, where a tall white mollusk-like building sat surrounded by a reflective pool.   Vincent dismounted and walked over to the edge of the water.  Pandora climbed down off of Penumbra carefully and joined him.  

            "Is this the place?" she asked nervously.  He glanced at her and gestured for her to follow him.  They walked up the pathway into the interior.  A spiral floor led down to a central pond.  She followed him and saw a crystalline staircase leading down through the pond's surface.  They made their way down the long winding staircase through a dark void, like the bottom of the ocean.  Pandora looked down and saw a cluster of buildings built on stilts in a circle.  As they descended the stairs echoed as if they were made of glass.  They reached the base between a wide cylindrical building and a squat tower.  Pandora froze in her tracks, feeling a cold chill.  

            "This is where she died," she whispered.  Vincent took her hand and led her to the edge of a platform overlooking a series of pilings.  He leapt from one piling to another and climbed up a short flight of stairs to a central dais.  He turned to face her, his expression blank.  Pandora crossed the pilings and walked up to him.  He put a hand on her shoulder and turned her so she was facing away from him.  Gently he pushed her down onto her knees.  

"She came to this place all alone," he began, "She had hoped to stop Sephiroth."  

            "Sephiroth," whispered Pandora numbly.  

            "The greatest Soldier produced by Shinra," elaborated Vincent, "But his mind was poisoned by will of Jenova."  He gestured to the pilings with a claw.  

            "Cloud came down those steps to rescue her," he elaborated, "Under Sephiroth's control; he drew out his sword and approached her as she knelt in prayer."  Vincent walked past her and raised his claws over his head.  His shadow fell over Pandora.  

            "He tried to strike her," said Vincent, "But something inside made him stop."  He walked back behind her and grasped the back of her neck with his right hand.  

            "She opened her eyes in time to see Cloud," he said drawing back his claws, "Then Sephiroth pounced."  Pandora gasped as she felt a twinge between her shoulder blades.  

            "He drove his sword through her heart," said Vincent darkly, "And she fell lifeless to the ground."  Pandora slumped facedown onto the cold hard marble.  Her shoulders heaved as she began sobbing.  Vincent stood over her impassively.  He noticed an object driven into the floor nearby.  It was an ancient rusting sword with a broken tip and three slots carved into the blood groove.  

            "Apocalypse," he said, "So Cloud has returned to mark her grave."  He grasped the hilt with his claws and pulled the sword free.  He walked over to Pandora and put his hand on her shoulder.  

            "Forgive me my child," he murmured, "She was the sacrifice to save the Planet."  She grasped his cloak desperately.  

            "I can't…," she cried.  He began stroking her hair with his hand.  

            "You can make the pain go away," he said reassuringly, "Call on the power of Holy."  She opened her eyes and stared into his warm gaze.  She bowed her head and interlaced her fingers.  He took several steps back but frowned as he heard footsteps echoing overhead.  He looked up to see Cloud and Tifa standing at the top of the crystal staircase.  

            "Vincent!" shouted Cloud, "Don't kill her!"  Vincent clenched his claws tightly around the hilt of Apocalypse.

            "Not yet!" he exclaimed as he drew out the Death Penalty.  He aimed upwards and fired a single shot.  The bullet whizzed through the third step below Cloud's foot.  Cracks spread on the surface of the steps as Vincent fired a second bullet through a step further down.  Cloud stepped over the broken step as that whole section of the staircase broke and fell away.  Tifa grabbed Cloud collar and yanked him back to safety.  The section hit the roof of a building nearby Vincent, sending hundreds of glasslike shards flying through the air.  Several struck Vincent, cutting his face and arms.  Undeterred he aimed for a lower section of the staircase.  

            "Vincent!" pleaded Tifa, "Don't do this!"  Vincent shot out another section of the staircase lower down.  Cloud glanced fearfully at Pandora.  

            "Screw this!" he snapped as he dove off the staircase.  He plunged several stories and landed in the water feet first.  Vincent walked to the edge of the shore and watched him surface.  Another section of staircase came crashing down as Cloud clambered onto dry land.  Both Cloud and Vincent got hit by the shards.  Cloud wiped the blood from his forehead and drew out the Ultima Weapon.  

            "How dare you desecrate her grave!" he yelled nearly in tears.  Vincent shouldered the Death Penalty as Cloud lunged at him.  Vincent guarded with the Apocalypse held in his claws.  

            "Do not appeal to my conscience," said Vincent soothingly, "I have none left."  Cloud tried to slash from the side by Vincent parried again.  He looked over his shoulder at Pandora.  

            "Aeris!" he yelled, "I'm coming for you!"  

            "She cannot hear you," said Vincent coolly, "She is praying to the Planet."  Tifa jumped from broken section to broken section of the staircase.  As she reached the bottom she gasped as she saw white sparks rising from the water.  

            "At last," said Vincent with grim satisfaction.  The white sparks drifted toward Pandora and condensed between her hands into a glowing white sphere.  Vincent lowered his sword to his side, presenting a perfect target to Cloud.  But he was too transfixed by the sight to move.  The sphere crystallized into a green orb with stripes on its surface.  The inside still shone white hot.  Pandora levitated off of the ground and floated in midair.  Vincent walked halfway towards her and turned to face Cloud.  He shouldered the Apocalypse.  

            "Behold Aeris," he said with a gesture, "She lives within the light of Holy."  

            "How did you…," stammered Cloud, bewildered.  

            "I am deaf to the cries of the Planet," replied Vincent, "But I can hear the voice of Jenova."  Cloud frowned as Tifa joined him.  

            "I don't understand," he said.  Vincent stared at him intently.  

            "We are the last of our generation," replied Vincent, "Only we can hear her voice now."  

            "No!" snapped Cloud as he held his hands to his ears.  

            "You weren't afraid to use her power to find me," reminded Vincent, "Let me teach you another lesson."  He turned the blade of Apocalypse edgewise against his left shoulder and began sawing.  Blood flowed down the back of his cloak and began dripping onto the floor.  Tifa's eyes grew wide with horror.  Vincent switched to his right shoulder began to cut again.  Cloud slowly lifted his head.  Vincent crouched onto the floor and drove his claws into the stone, gouging huge marks.  He screamed in agony as two bloody spines shot out of the wounds on his back.  The spines unfurled into membranous wings, glistening with blood like a newborn.  Vincent slowly rose to his feet, his face calm again.  

            "Once you give into the darkness, it's not so bad," he said with a faint shudder.  Cloud leveled the Ultima Weapon at him.  

            "The Vincent I knew is dead," he said dully.  Vincent chuckled and flew backward into the air, flapping his wings. He came up alongside Pandora and wrapped his right arm around her waist.  

            "The child still belongs to me," he stated evenly, "Come to the Waterfall Cave."

            "Let her go!" snarled Cloud.  

            "Vincent!" begged Tifa.  Vincent gave them a grim smile.

 "Not until I free her," he replied, "Then my life is yours to take."  Cloud ran forward as Vincent flew upwards toward the ceiling with Pandora in his clutches.  Cloud and Tifa watched them disappear from sight.  

"Damn it, we were so close!" shouted Cloud despairingly.  Tifa put a hand comfortingly on his shoulder.  

"Cloud do you really think that Aeris is…?" she asked.  Cloud sighed deeply.  

"I want to see her again," he said quietly, "There's so much I have to tell her."  Tifa nodded pressed her face against his.  

"I know," she said, "Let's hurry and save her."  


	9. Waterfall Cave

Chapter 9

The sunlight glinted off the _Highwind_ as it glided above a mountain range. From the cockpit Elena could make out the shadow of the airship far below. She turned to regard Reno, who was lounging in a chair smoking leisurely. Behind him Rude stood glumly with his arms folded across his chest. She sighed inwardly and wondered if her partners thought she was still a greenhorn. Elena gestured for them to come closer.

"'sup?" inquired Reno as he flicked cigarette ash on the floor. Rude ambled over and hovered silently next to him.

"You guys remember the first rule of the Turks, right?" she asked.

"Never get personal about business," they chimed in unison.

"Good," she added, "But can you do that?"

"I'll do what I'm told," said Rude firmly.

"Yeah but," prompted Reno with a lopsided smirk.

"But my thoughts are my own," he replied grimly. Reno chuckled hollowly.

"He's a regular philosopher," he commented to Elena. She put her hands on her hips.

"He has a point," she said, "I think we're taking a big risk."

"It's for the future of humanity or some crap like that," said Reno as he leaned his chin on his hand.

"We're endangering the Planet all over again," she retorted, "Am I the only one who has a problem with this?" Reno blew a smoke ring.

"Better us than them," he stated.

"No, better them than us," corrected Rude. Reno frowned at the big man. They regarded each other in the awkward silence that was mercifully broken by the crackle of the radio.

"Come in _Highwind_," said Reeve's voice.

"_Highwind_ here Mister President," said Elena as she flicked a switch on the console in front of her.

"Are you in position?" he asked.

"Nearly," said Reno.

"Be ready to commence operations," instructed Reeve.

"Yes Sir," said Rude.

"Deal with Valentine as you see fit," said the President, "But the girl must not be harmed."

"Understood Mister President," said Elena. She turned off the switch and looked at Reno who unsheathed his electroshock rod.

"Paybacks are a bitch," he muttered cheerfully.

Pandora's first conscious thought was how strong the breeze was in her face. She opened her eyes slowly and saw the ground far below her through a curtain of clouds. She looked over her shoulder to see Vincent carrying her aloft.

"Your wings," she murmured softly. He stared down at her with a look of eerie calm.

"They were a gift," he said plainly.

"What happened back there?" she asked breathlessly.

"You summoned her," he explained, "She rests inside a box only you can open." Pandora frowned in confusion then noticed the glowing white orb inset into the Angel Guard. She ran a fingertip lightly over the surface and smiled happily.

"Yes, it's her," she said warmly. They came closer to a ring of mountains surrounding a circular lake. It took Pandora a moment to recognize it from the air.

"The Waterfall Cave," she said.

"And the _Highwind_," added Vincent quietly. Pandora blinked and he nodded to a large cloud formation near the edge of the lake.

"They're waiting to ambush us," he added. Pandora clutched his arm fearfully.

"What should we do?" she asked.

"It does not matter," he replied. Vincent banked and dove toward the lake. He swooped down low over the surface of lake and coasted onto the rocky beach. After landing gently on the ground he released Pandora. She wobbled a little on her feet so he steadied her.

"Only the Ancients can call the Lifestream," he explained, "I can only sense the voice of Jenova." He reached out with his claws and lightly touched the surface of Holy. The tips of his claws glowed red hot and disintegrated. Small wisps of smoke drifted from his fingertips. Pandora's eyes widened in horror as Vincent leisurely inspected the damage.

"You were born to make this choice child," he said to her, "You hold our fate in your hands." She looked over at the waterfall for a while then back at him.

"I know what you want me to do," she said, "But what happens after that?"

"Whatever you wish," he responded quietly.

"I wish Aeris to live again in me," she said firmly. Vincent paled and took a step closer.

"But what about yourself?" he asked. She smiled up at him as a tear traced down her cheek.

"Everyone wants her to have back," she said trying to shrug it off, "No one would mourn me." Vincent leaned over and kissed her forehead gently. She reddened furiously.

"I would," he said earnestly. Pandora tried to speak but couldn't. He ran his claw through her hair.

"Forgive me my poor child," he whispered, "I am the one who brought you all this pain." She smiled bravely and shook her head.

"Don't say that," she said.

"I think I'm gonna puke!"

Pandora and Vincent turned to see Reno squatting by the shoreline. He stood up and skipped a rock across the water. Rude and Elena stood a few feet behind him.

"Nice wings," commented Rude appreciatively.

"You know why we're here," said Elena. Vincent nodded and slowly released Pandora.

"Open the box," ordered Vincent. Pandora glanced down at the Angel Guard.

"Don't do it!" protested Rude holding out his hand. She smiled and bowed to him.

"Thank you Mister Rude," she said politely, "You were always kind to me." She held up the Angel Guard above her head and light exploded out of it, blinding everyone. As their eyes adjusted to the glare they could see her hovering a few feet above the center of the lake, her hair streaming upwards. Rude ran into the surf but Vincent flapped over between them.

"Don't do this to her!" shouted Rude. Vincent smiled indulgently.

"She chose this path," he said reasonably, "I cannot let you interfere."

"What happened to you Boss?" demanded Elena. As if to answer, Vincent silently loaded materia into the slots on the Death Penalty. Apocalypse was held in the grips of his claws. He then closed his eyes and hovered expectantly. Sweat trickled down Reno's temple as he glanced at Elena and Rude uncertainly. Elena gestured for them to split up. Reno walked along the edge of the shore to Vincent's right and Rude went to his left. Reno waved the electroshock rod and a giant pyramid made of electricity rotated around Vincent's body. Rude punched into the ground and sent a spark of energy rocketing toward Vincent that hit him in the chest. He reeled in the air but did not fight back.

"Careful, he might be trying to berserk again boys!" warned Elena. Vincent opened his eyes and fired the Death Penalty at Elena, the force knocking her off her feet. He spun the gun and fired a second shot that sent Rude flying.

"Crap, he's got Double Cut!" yelled Reno. Vincent reloaded and pulled off two more shots in a row, both of which pummeled Reno.

"Well at least he didn't fully master it," commented Rude as he got up wearily. Elena cast an ice spell that caused spike of ice to shoot up and impale Vincent. He spat out black blood and began to laugh quietly.

"What the hell's so funny?" demanded Reno. They began to feel a rumbling of the earth under their feet. The white light in the center of the lake became more intense and the water began to rise, flooding the surrounding beaches. As the Turks beat a hasty retreat up the side of the mountain, a column of earth burst up from the lake and sped skyward. The light from the massive pillar illuminated Cloud and Tifa as they stood on a mountain peak overlooking the lake. The black and gold chocobos stood behind them.

"Damn!" exclaimed Cloud, "We're too late!" Tifa shook her head.

"There's still time!" she said. They ran down the mountain to shoreline. The earthquake nearly knocked them down. Cloud could barely make out Pandora's form in the center of the sphere of light on top of the column. The light began sending out shock waves that caused the surrounding mountains to crack and crumble. Enormous boulders broke free and tumbled down into the valley. The waterfall simply disintegrated under the force of the impact. Vincent's face betrayed relief as the Waterfall Cave was forever destroyed.

"At last," he said throwing the Death Penalty away. It plunged through the surface of the lake hardly making a ripple as it sank.

"Vincent!" shouted Cloud, his voice echoing across the lake. Vincent spun around and flew over, smiling strangely. Cloud watched him incredulously as he landed lightly on his feet.

"What have you done?" asked Tifa.

"Lucrecia is now one with the Lifestream," he said gesturing around him, "I am finally free." They followed his gaze to the remains of the mountains. Cloud drew the Ultima Weapon and leveled it at Vincent.

"Fine, you got you wish," he growled, "Now release Aeris!"

"Take my life and she's yours," said Vincent evenly.

"You want to die?" asked Cloud, "Why?"

"It would be doing me a favor," he said quietly.

"He wants to be with Lucrecia," said Tifa sadly. Cloud looked from her to Vincent.

"Forget it!" said Cloud defiantly. Vincent shook his head slowly.

"We may have missed the first reunion," he said quietly, "But we're the only ones in attendance this time." Vincent landed on the ground, his wings folding up on his back. He grimaced and put a hand over his face. Cloud's face contorted in pain as he put his hands on the sides of his head. Tifa looked between them.

"What's wrong?" she asked with concern. Vincent slumped onto his side as Cloud fell on one knee.

"Reunion," whispered Vincent and Cloud together. Vincent gritted his teeth as he raked his claws down his right arm drawing blood. Black bruises appeared on Cloud's face and arms. When Tifa touched one, she found it hot to the touch.

"Cloud!" she shouted, "Fight it!" He looked up at her with tears in the corners of his eyes.

"The cells are burning!" he gasped as he clutched his head.

"Even if we disown her, Jenova is still our mother," said Vincent painfully. They turned to see him standing again, the same bruises marring his skin. He opened his eyes and as he saw Tifa his claws began to tremble and rasp together.

"Lucrecia!" he barked, "Get away from him!" Tifa blinked incredulously.

"Where do you see her?" she asked in puzzlement. Cloud stood and gripped the hilt of his sword tightly as he gaped at Vincent.

"How many times do I have to kill you!" he screamed in disbelief.

"I freed her Professor!" retorted Vincent as he wielded Apocalypse, "I will not surrender her this time!"

"Wait!" protested Tifa grabbing Cloud's shoulder. He pushed her away.

"Sephiroth!" he shouted as he pointed his blade at Vincent, "I should have known you were behind this!"

"Your mindless babble will not save you Professor Hojo!" replied Vincent angrily.

"It's just an illusion!" yelled Tifa fearfully. Cloud lunged at Vincent and swung his sword, who barely dodged by flying upwards. He plunged on top of Cloud, driving him to the ground. Cloud rolled over and kicked Vincent off. He flew warily around Cloud then dove for a low attack. Cloud managed to parry the Apocalypse with the Ultima Weapon. He then slashed Vincent across the chest. Black blood flowed freely from the wound and hissed as it hit the ground.

"What happened to your blood?" demanded Cloud.

"I've been corrupted by your experiments Professor!" snapped Vincent, "But I can still save her from you!" Vincent drove the tip of his sword into Cloud's sword arm, making him gasp in pain. Cloud passed his sword to his good arm and slashed upward, severing Vincent's left wing with a single deft stroke. He spiraled to the ground and landed hard. Cloud ran over to him and drove his sword straight down. Vincent rolled to one side and cut into Cloud's knee. Cloud howled in pain and began tremble violently. Vincent's eyes lit up with understanding and he nodded sadly to Tifa.

"Farewell my Love," he said.

Cloud glowed with a red light and slashed Vincent dozens of times in quick succession. Vincent's body was pummeled each blow like a toy boat in a hurricane. Cloud jumped high in the air and raised the Ultima Weapon over his head. He brought the sword down and drove it home.

"No!" screamed Tifa. Cloud looked up as if waking out of a dream and saw Vincent impaled through the chest by the Ultima Weapon. Ebon blood seeped out of dozens of cuts across his arms and face. Vincent's claws loosened their grip on the hilt of Apocalypse, which was plunged into Cloud's shoulder.

"Vincent?" said Cloud in numb shock. Vincent opened his eyes and peered back at him quizzically.

"Cloud," he rasped, "Forgive me." Cloud began to notice the stinging wounds decorating his own body. His crimson blood flowed down his shoulder to freely mingle with Vincent's. Steam rose from the slowly growing puddle beneath their feet.

"Jenova!" said Cloud in frustration. Vincent let go of Apocalypse and put his arms around Cloud's shoulders. Cloud tried to pull his sword free but Vincent held him in a vice-like grip.

"Let go!" protested Cloud, "You'll die!"

"I enjoy seeing the life flow out of me," said Vincent weakly.

"Oh Vincent," said Tifa in tears. A red spike rose from the puddle beneath Cloud and Vincent. A second black spike rose next to it. Cloud though he was levitating for a moment then he looked down to see he was standing on the shoulder of a creature that was pulling itself free of the pool. It was twenty feet tall with splayed spikes decorating its shoulders under which tentacles dangled, serving as arms. It stood on three long prongs that resembled a skirt. The left side was black with red veins and the right side was red with black veins. An unnatural howl reverberated from a maw inset it its face as it reached up with its tentacles and pulled Vincent and Cloud apart. It carelessly dropped them on the ground like broken toys. Tifa raced over to Cloud. She cast a spell and white wind coursed through Cloud's body. He weakly peered up at the monster looming overhead.

"Jenova…but how?" he croaked. Nearby, Vincent feebly tried to sit up but slumped back to the ground.

"She was reborn out of our cells," he said, "We must destroy her."

"You're in no shape to fight," protested Tifa.

"There is a way," said Vincent, "But I'll regret it later." He gripped the hilt of the Ultima Weapon and buried it further into his chest, up to the hilt. He gasped in pain as he began to glow red. As the glow faded a tall muscular violet horned demon stood and unfolded crimson wings. It snarled as it pulled the sword free and contemptuously flung it aside.

"Chaos," whispered Cloud as Tifa pulled him to his feet. Chaos glanced arrogantly to the monster looming over him.

"You may be my mother, but I serve no one!" it spat. Jenova roared and pummeled him into the side of the pillar in the lake, cracking the stone behind it. Chaos started to fall but unfolded its wings and flew around and landed next to Cloud and Tifa. They watched it lick the blood off its fingertips.

"Chaos, will you help us?" asked Tifa uncertainly.

"I will destroy everything," said the ruby eyed demon, "But I'll begin with this bitch."

"Works for me," grunted Cloud as he pulled Apocalypse out of his shoulder and wielded it.

A small black cat perched on top of an oversized white moogle grinned fiercely as it watched the spectacle in the valley below. It whipped out a golden megaphone and threw the switch on the back.

"Time to fulfill your purpose!" it bellowed across the lake in a magnified voice, "Execute command Zero Prime!" Pandora opened her eyes and pointed the Angel Guard eastward and a column of energy began streaming out of the sphere toward the horizon. Cloud gaped up at Cait Sith.

"What are you doing?" he demanded. Cait Sith laughed as Cloud had to sidestep one of Jenova's tentacles.

"You've got bigger things to worry about!" replied the cat cheerfully, "Just leave the girl to me."

"I'll deal with the kitty litter later," growled Chaos. It waved a claw in the air and a red skull erupted underneath Jenova and spewed out small flaming skulls. Cait Sith smirked as it watched the Lifestream slowly flow eastward.

From his office window in Midgar, Reeve could look down the barrel of the Sister Ray. It seemed to be aiming for the sunset. Behind him technicians were finishing attaching the cables to a control panel on top of his desk.

"Oswald, it's begun," said Reeve quietly. The head technician looked at the President quizzically.

"How do you know Mister Prersident?" he inquired.

"I have my sources," he replied grimly.

"We're getting a power spike!" yelled a technician.

"Double check the connections!" ordered Oswald. A bright glow appeared on the horizon.

"All mako reactors online!" said a technician.

"Connections are secure!" shouted another. The column of energy streaked over the outer suburbs of Midgar and hit the Sister Ray square on the barrel. Green smoke vented out the sides of barrel as the Lifestream flowed down the giant tubes into the six mako reactors. They began burning furiously with ethereal mist rising from their smokestacks.

"C'mon!" coaxed Reeve, "Bring us your light!"

"Reactor 2 is overloading!" yelled a technician. Oswald reached for the override switch but a withering glance from Reeve stopped him. A brilliant flash of light illuminated the dusky sky as Reactor 2 exploded into a fireball, scattering debris all across Sector 2.

"Reactor 7 is overloading!" said another technician, "Wait, so it Reactor 4!"

"Hell, they're all critical!" shouted another.

"Let them burn!" ordered Reeve. The night air reverberated with screams of the panicked population as one reactor after another erupted in flames. Reeve slumped to his knees.

"Damn it!" he cried, "Why do all my dreams die like this?" As if to answer him the earth began to rumble far beneath them, making the Shinra building groan as it swayed back and forth.

"We're getting positive output from Zero Prime!" said Oswald elatedly, "We did it!" Reeve's head slumped down against his chest as he closed his eyes. He brought his hands together as the technicians looked on incredulously.

"Thank you, Planet, for hearing my plea," he prayed.

From the cockpit of the _Tiny Bronco_ Cid stared in horror at the hellacious landscape of Midgar below, now illuminated by six skyscraper-sized bonfires along the outer edge.

"What the hell were those assholes thinking?" he stammered.

"Hell if I know!" grumbled Barret from the right wing.

"What should we do Jichan?" asked Yuffie from the left wing.

Before he could answer the entire city shook and vibrated. An enormous earthquake ripped around the outer perimeter, burying the city in an expanding wave of dust. Cid banked the plane and flew away from the city, trying to outrun the dust storm. Barret glanced back and grimaced.

"Can't you fly this bucket any faster?" he demanded.

"Not with you weighing it down!" countered Cid.

"What you trying to say?" demanded the big man shaking a fist.

"Guys, later!" pleaded Yuffie as the dust cloud overtook them. The plane veered wildly and tumbled.

"Hold onto to your britches!" shouted Cid. The _Tiny Bronco_ managed to right itself and flew clear of the debris. As soon as they were back in the light of the sunset Yuffie gasped and pointed back toward the cloud.

"Guys!" she yelled. Barret and Cid saw the Shinra building slowly rise out of the center of the storm, like a volcanic upheaval. In front of it emerged the Sister Ray, still was drawing in the energy of the Lifestream.

"Are we sinking?" asked Barret.

"No, the whole goddamned city is rising!" shouted Cid. The villages on top of the plates slowly resolved into view. Beneath them the round outer edge of the city emerged. Below that appeared a series of flat stacked stone cylinders resembling an inverted pyramid. Huge pieces of metallic debris and soil feel loose from the newly exposed underside of Midgar, crashing onto the ground far below. An eerie white light poured in between slits on the ziggurat. They gaped in stunned awe at the spectacle.

Neo-Midgar had been born.


	10. NeoMidgar

Chapter 10

Elmyra was roused from a deep slumber by the tremendous racket. A vase at the foot of her bed rattled as it tipped over, spilling the flowers and water across the floor. She threw back the covers and flung open the window. Moonlight poured in through the plate hundreds of feet above the house as she heard distant yelling and screaming. She ran downstairs, still dressed in her white nightgown and walked out into the garden. Far above stars twinkled in the night sky. The ground rumbled and shook under her feet as muffled explosion echoed hollowly through the city. An airship stopped directly overhead and a ladder unfurled from the gondola. Rude slid down to the ground next to the front door.

"Mrs. Gainsborough, open up!" he yelled pounding on the door with a fist.

"Rude," said Elmyra quietly. He smashed door down with his foot and ran inside. She sighed to herself and waited patiently until he emerged again and noticed her with a start.

"Uh, about the door," he muttered sheepishly. She gave him a rueful smile.

"Can I help you with something Rude?" she inquired. He strode over to her and looked down at her, noting how different she looked with her hair down. It softened her whole face.

"We need your help," he said, "The situation has changed." Elmyra nodded absently and gazed skyward again.

"How many years has it been since we saw stars above Midgar?" she asked. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"We're kind of in a rush here Mrs. Gainsborough," he explained. She nodded and followed him to the ladder. Together they ascended to the gondola of the _Highwind_. She followed him through a bulkhead into the cargo bay. From there they went across a ramp onto the bridge. Elmyra gasped at the view out the window.

"Why the city's floating!" she exclaimed. Elena glanced at the pilot who fired the engines and the _Highwind_ began to rocket towards the Shinra tower. Below them the giant city revolved slowly as it hovered hundreds of feet in the air over the plains.

"How did this happen?" she asked. The Turks exchanged a tense look.

"Pandora summoned the Lifestream," began Elena carefully, "And the President is using it to power the city."

"Where is she?" demanded Elmyra frantically.

"We had to leave her," said Reno wearily, "A lot of shit has happened."

"We're going back for her," reassured Rude. She let this sink in.

"The President wants to see you first," added Elena. The tower loomed into view as the _Highwind_ pulled in for a landing. The Turks escorted her into an elevator. A few minutes later they emerged and entered Reeve's office. The room was crawling with technicians running strange equipment. Reeve turned from the window, a benevolent smile on his face. He bowed his head to her.

"We are in your debt Mrs. Gainsborough," he stated humbly.

"What have you done?" she asked quietly. Reeve sat began the desk and interlaced his fingers.

"Neo-Midgar has finally arisen," he said, "Now humanity will venture to the stars."

"You're taking the city into outer space?" asked Reno, flabbergasted. Reeve smirked in his direction.

"With the power of that girl, we can journey to a new Promised Land," he averred, "One where humans have a future."

"Pandora would never agree to that!" snapped Elmyra.

"Cloud did interrupt the procedure," pointed out Elena.

"Enough of it took hold," countered Rude.

"You brainwashed her?" whispered Elmyra. Rude pushed a chair up next to her and she slumped heavily into it. Reeve leaned forward across his desk.

"She wasn't meant to have been awakened before the indoctrination," he said sympathetically, "But Vincent and Cloud fouled things up."

"They have a way of doing that," said Elena with a hollow grin.

"How could you do this?" inquired Elmyra. The Turks looked at Reeve expectantly, Reno crossing his arms.

"We will die out if we stay on the Planet," said Reeve flatly, "I can't let that happen."

"Why?" she countered, "Maybe humanity should die!"

"You can't mean that," pleaded Reeve.

"How many have died for the sake of your precious humanity?" she demanded.

"I thought you would understand," he said with a deep sigh.

"You mean well President Reeve," she replied, "But you've gone nuts." He stared at her with a faint trace of pity then turned to Oswald.

"Begin phase two," he instructed.

In the lake Cloud severed one of Jenova's tentacles with Apocalypse. She roared and pummeled him with two other intact limbs, slamming him into a mountainside. Chaos unfurled its razor edged wings and slashed her torso in the shoulders. Black blood spilled to the ground from the wounds.

"Sephiroth was your favorite!" screamed the demon, "And I was forgotten!" Tifa raised her hands over her head as green light swirled around her. Meteors streaked down from the sky and pummeled Jenova in the face and chest. She recoiled and waved her tentacles in the air. Bright prismatic bubbles rained down on them and exploded, knocking them to the ground. Chaos spat black blood as it got off the ground and hovered in midair again.

"Why does she always come back to torment me?" demanded Cloud between gritted teeth. Chaos laughed in a raspy voice.

"It's useless Cloud!" it replied, "She will always live on inside of us!"

"I'm not going to let that happen!" snapped Tifa indignantly. Chaos ignored her and peered up at the pillar of light.

"Come to me child!" it commanded raising a fist, "You soul still belongs to me!" The glowing sphere of light descended from the pillar. Jenova shrieked as it was bathed in the light of Holy. Chaos grinned fiercely.

"Open up the void!" it order, twirling its fingers. Pandora was surrounded by a faint red glow and a starry void opened up all around them. A giant rotating question mark spun in to view, pummeling Jenova. She lashed out with her tentacles and knocked Tifa down.

"Tifa!" cried Cloud.

Tifa stood up again glowing with a red aura. She ran towards Jenova and did a somersault, followed by a kick that flooded her with a column of water.

"Yes!" gloated Chaos.

Tifa then plunged Jenova into the ground like a striking meteor followed by an uppercut accompanied by a diving dolphin. She jumped back and her fist glowed with light like the rays of the sun, then she plunged her fist into the ground, creating an explosion that engulfed her.

Cloud glowed with a ring of red light and Jenova was enfolded in a swirling red mist. She teetered and roared as she collapsed onto the ground. Chaos flew over to her prone body and knelt on her chest. It laid his claw on her throat.

"You abandoned me mother," said the demon sorrowfully, "But I will still make you proud of me."

"Chaos," said Cloud carefully, "Get away from her." Chaos began to tear into Jenova body with its claws. They heard the rending of flesh and the crunch of bones. Tifa gasped in horror as Chaos turned with a large pulsating heart in its clutches. Tears streamed down the demon's face as it bit off a large chunk and began chewing. Black blood dribbled out of its mouth down its chin. Tifa turned away and buried her face against Cloud's chest. He put his arms around her trembling shoulders as he stared up at Chaos, eerily backlit by the light streaming out of the Princess Guard. The body of Jenova melted into a glowing red poll that disintegrated and blew away in the wind.

"Are you going to try and rule the world like Sephiroth?" asked Cloud uneasily. Chaos chewed on the last piece of flesh greedily and swallowed.

"No Cloud," countered the demon, "I will destroy the Planet and everything on it!"

"That's horrible!" cried Tifa looking up at Chaos, "You'll destroy yourself!"

"Life is futile and meaningless!" snapped Chaos clenching its claws into fists, "I will embrace death!"

"You don't have the power to do that!" yelled Cloud angrily. Chaos wagged a claw at him.

"Pandora does!" taunted the demon gleefully, "She will give me the power I need!"

"You talk too much Chaos," said a black cat stifling a yawn. They all stared at Cait Sith standing on the shoreline nearby.

"You cannot defeat me!" warned Chaos testily.

"I don't have to," replied the cat with a smirk as it raised its megaphone, "Begin phase two!"

"No!" roared the demon as it slammed into Cait Sith, knocking the cat off the moogle. Pandora raised the Princess Guard and she vanished into thin air. Chaos snarled and unfurled its wings, flying off towards the east. Cait Sith dusted itself off and climbed back onto the moogle.

"Where did she go?" asked Cloud.

"She's inside the main reactor of Neo-Midgar," explained the cat leisurely.

"Where's that?" asked Tifa.

"It was built far below Midgar more than a thousand years ago," replied Cait Sith. Cloud grabbed the cat's collar.

"What have you done to her?" demanded Cloud.

"You'd better hurry if you want to get to her before Chaos does," said the cat with an impish smirk. A shadow fell over them and they looked up to see the _Highwind_ hovering overhead.

Pandora opened her eyes. She was standing in a small village nestled in a valley surrounded by conical mountains. In front of her was an enormous vat on slits that a large pump stood over. The alpine cottages were arranged in a ring around the cobblestone square. A winding mountain path led up a flight of stairs past an enormous mansion. She walked up the staircase and pushed open the wrought iron gate in the fence surrounding the mountain and fearfully stood before the giant door. She pushed the massive oaken doors opened and walked inside. The atrium was large and airy, with light pouring through three tall pointed windows in the back wall.

"Hello?" she asked quietly.

She spied a woman in a long pale hooded cloak cross the balcony to the far right hallway. Pandora sprinted up the stairs and saw her disappear into one of the rooms. The room beyond was bare of furniture and had a door in the far wall. She walked through the door into a study with a cylindrical tower built into one wall. As she approached a panel slid open revealing a spiral staircase plunging far into the basement. The bottom of the staircase led to a natural passageway made from a cave. She walked to the far end and found a door to her left. Inside was a grey pentagonal room filled with coffins. All were open except the central one, with emaciated skeletons in residence. Fearfully she pried off the lid. Inside was lined with red velvet, but otherwise empty.

"Where did she go?" muttered Pandora. Then the bottom of the coffin fell away and she found herself plummeting through a long winding tunnel. She came out of the ceiling of an enormous underground cavern lit by diffuse green light. She touched lightly on the ground and looked around her. The ground was bumpy and uneven, with boulders strewn all over the place. The woman in white stood on a nearby rock outcropping.

"Hello?" called out Pandora hesitantly. The woman glanced her way and headed towards her. She didn't seem so much to walk as glide over the ground. As she got close Pandora recognized her. Her hazel eyes and golden brown hair framed a face that was pale as a ghost.

"You're Lucrecia!" said Pandora with a tiny gasp.

"Have we met before child?" said Lucrecia with a faint smile. Pandora felt paralyzed under her piercing gaze. She reached out with a hand lifted Pandora's chin as she inspected her face.

"Ifalna's hair ands eyes," she said appraisingly, "And Professor Gast's face." Pandora couldn't even breathe.

"Are you perhaps their daughter?" asked Lucrecia pleasantly.

"I guess so," Pandora replied uncertainly.

"I have a little boy of my own," said Lucrecia dropping her hands to her sides, "He would be your age by now."

"Maybe I can help you find him," suggested Pandora hopefully. Lucrecia smiled at him sadly.

"Thank you my dear," she said, "His name is Sephiroth." Pandora shrieked and clutched her chest in pain, falling to her knees. Lucrecia put a pale hand on her shoulder.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Pandora looked up at her as a cold sweat engulfed her.

"It's nothing," she said hastily. Lucrecia helped her to her feet.

"What's you name?" she asked.

"Aeris," she said quietly, "Aeris Gainsborough."

"We should go Aeris," said the woman in white.

"Where are we anyway?" asked Pandora looking around her.

"We're in Vincent's nightmare," replied Lucrecia as she gestured for her to follow.

The pilot was pushing the _Highwind_ to its limits as it streaked toward Neo-Midgar. Cloud and Tifa warily eyed the Turks standing nearby.

"We should never have left her," said Rude with resignation.

"Hey we had our orders," chimed in Reno, smoking as usual.

"She spoke highly of you guys," said Tifa cheerfully. Cloud gaped at Rude. He had never seen the big man blush before.

"Um…thanks Tifa," he said awkwardly.

"Enough with that," said Elena impatiently, "We need a plan."

"What's the easiest way to the reactor?" asked Cloud.

"The Sister Ray is connected to all six reactors," said Elena, "And they all lead to Reactor Zero Prime." Cloud looked lost in thought.

"Fine," he said, "We'll go in that way."

"I'm going with you," said Rude.

"That's not necessary," countered Cloud.

"She's my responsibility too," said Rude, "I made a promise to her mother."

"I'm going too then," added Reno, "You need someone to cover your ass."

"Then it's decided," stated Elena, "We'll go together." Cloud looked wearily to Tifa who tried to hide her giggling. Wearily he shrugged. The _Highwind_ came upon the plains of Midgar. The wastelands were the same but the city was gone. Everyone gaped out of the front windows.

"Where's the city?" demanded Cloud. Elena looked skyward and pointed. They saw a faint dark disc floating up among the clouds.

"Fly higher!" ordered Elena. The airship gained altitude rapidly. As the approached the city they saw the strange white light emanating from the stone ziggurat underneath the city.

"What the hell is that?" breathed Cloud.

"That's Reactor Zero Prime," explained Elena. They ship passed the outer plates and the familiar cityscape came into view. The Sister Ray loomed in front of them, but no energy was pouring down the barrel. They walked into the cargo bay and out through an airlock onto the flight deck. The _Highwind_ drifted next to the maw of the gun and Cloud hopped into the barrel. He held out his hand and pulled Tifa up. The Turks followed them down the long tunnel.

"Now I know how a bullet feels," remarked Reno. They reached hallway down the length and saw eight small hatches built into the wall, four to a side.

"Which one?" asked Cloud. Elena slid open the second one of the left side.

"Hurry," she said. Cloud climbed through the hatch and plummeted down the long tube. Down he plunged in total darkness, like some demented slide to hell. A faint light appeared and he rolled out the end of the tube. He found himself standing in the smoldering remains of a mako reactor. The walls were flattened outward in all directions. He ran towards the center of the building and found a pile of rubble where the reactor core had been. He began frantically digging as Tifa and Turks joined him. They uncovered a deep pit. Tifa took Cloud's hand.

"Here goes nothing," he said with a faint grin. They jumped down together. At the bottom of the pit was an enormous tube that plunged down into the earth. After falling for what felt light forever they saw an intense white glow illuminating them from below. They fell out of the ceiling inside of an enormous spiral structure the size of a skyscraper. The walls were honeycombed with vertical slits. Below them they saw a ball of pure white energy sending out waves that struck the walls of the reactor. They slowed down and eventually came to a stop in midair. They were at eye level with the energy sphere with Pandora at the core. She was curled into a ball and looked asleep as she clutched the Princess Guard.

"Aeris!" shouted Cloud. He tried to reach her but the energy knocked him back. The Turks came to rest next to them. Chaos melted through the wall opposite them.

"She cannot hear you," said the demon grimly, "She has locked her heart away."

"You can't do this!" yelled Cloud.

"Watch me," retorted Chaos.

"What about Lucrecia?" asked Tifa, "You love her don't you?" For a moment the demon looked shaken.

"Yes," replied Chaos, "And I shall weep for her after I put her out of her misery."

"Not if I stop you!" said Cloud as he drew out Apocalypse. Chaos grinned toothily and spread his arms out wide.

"You can try!" he roared.

Pandora followed Lucrecia up a hill. At the top they saw a valley below them. They saw a metal chain dangling from a hole in the cave ceiling. Below that was suspended Vincent by his metal arm, his chest and legs wrapped in similar chains of which three drooped to the ground.

"Vincent!" shouted Pandora.

"Wait," warned Lucrecia. But Pandora was already running down the hill. She reached the chains and began to climb up one of them. She felt the earth shake and saw a tall purple beast with long curving horns emerge from the ground beneath her. The end of the chain led to a spiked collar wrapped tightly around its throat. It snarled and snapped up at her. She saw the Hellmasker and Death Gigas rise from the earth, each connected to the other two chains. The Hellmasker giggled obscenely and fired up its chainsaw.

"Vincent Valentine!" called out Lucrecia. The monsters turned their attention to her. The Galian Beast bounded to her, jaws snapping, Pandora still desperately clinging to the upper part of the chain. Lucrecia stood just out of its reach as it snarled and roared, saliva flying from its maw. She smiled and held out a hand.

"Don't do that!" shouted Pandora. The Galian Beast snorted, then experimentally sniffed her outstretched palm.

"Yes, you remember me don't you," said Lucrecia soothingly. The monster whined and began licking her hand. She patted the mane of orange fur that crowned its head.

"I'm sorry I left you alone for so long Vincent," she said sorrowfully to the Galian Beast, "How you must have suffered." Pandora slid down the chain and dropped to the ground. She stared in amazement at the sight. The Hellmasker and Death Gigas lumbered towards them.

"I don't think they want to be friends," said Pandora.

"They are all part of him my dear," said Lucrecia, "He was my husband's latest project."

"What about you?" asked Pandora, remember the conversation in Icicle Inn.

"I was his penultimate project," she replied serenely, "Observe his handiwork." She held her hands out and seemed to grow in height until Pandora realized her lower body under the cloak was a giant scaly white tail of a snake. She peered up at the figure dangling from the chains.

"Am I not still beautiful in your sight?" she inquired.

"Yes," whispered Vincent as if talking in his sleep.

"And you would still do anything for my sake?" she asked.

"Anything," replied Vincent resolutely.

"Take me to my son," she begged.

"Free me and it shall be done," he said. Lucrecia looked at the monsters lurching toward Pandora and herself.

"Wait for me Sephiroth," she prayed, "Mother is coming for you!"


	11. Inside the Nightmare

Chapter 11

            Elmyra stared through the window of Reeve's office with fascinated horror.  The cloud layers were now far below and she could see the stars twinkling in the dark void surrounding the city. 

            "We can't just abandon the Planet!" she protested.   Reeve swiveled in his chair to face her, a look of serene calm on his face. 

            "The Planet abandoned us first," he replied, "Our future is out there."  Elmyra sighed and walked around the desk to sit in the chair. 

            "How will you find the Promised Land?" she asked hollowly. 

            "Pandora will guide us," said Reeve, "She may not have the memories of an Ancient, but she still has the powers." 

            "How could you do this to her?" she demanded bitterly.  Reeve smiled apologetically. 

            "We needed an Ancient," he explained, "And a clone of Sephiroth would have been harder to indoctrinate." 

            "And control," added Elmyra.  Reeve nodded in understanding and leaned forward.

            "Neo-Midgar needs leadership," he said, "I want you to take over as Mayor."  Elmyra blinked in shock. 

            "Mayor?" she retorted, "That's ridiculous!" 

            "Neo-Midgar needs a conscience," elaborated Reeve, "A voice of reason."  Elmyra slowly stood up and placed her hands on the desk. 

            "Then listen carefully," she stated, "Land this city now and tell everyone to leave."  Reeve stared at her incredulously. 

            "Why?" he asked. 

            "Because this city is poisoning our souls," she replied, "Already it may be too late."  Reeve frowned at her. 

            "Too late for what?" he whispered. 

            "Power drain in Reactor Zero Prime!" yelled a technician. 

            "Vertical velocity slowing!" chimed in Oswald.  Reeve jumped to his feet. 

            "What?" he yelled, "How?" 

            "There are several anomalous readings in the reactor," said Oswald as he pointed a finger to a readout screen.     

            Cloud felt himself being forced against the walls of the reactor.  He turned to see Tifa and the Turks pinned in a similar fashion.  Inwardly he cursed himself.  He couldn't fail Aeris again; it would destroy him. 

            "Stop!" commanded Chaos. 

            They found themselves floating free again.  Reno shot a curious look at Cloud.  Chaos reached a hand through the white energy sphere and ran his claws over Pandora's hair. 

            "Good girl," it said grinning fiercely.  Chaos withdrew its arm and noted everything below the elbow was seared and charred.  Smoke rose from the cooked flesh and Elena struggled to keep her lunch down. 

            "You can't touch her," breathed Tifa, "She's holy." 

            "I am unholy," said the demon grimly, "But I am still her master."

            "That's not true!" retorted Cloud, "Aeris, come back!"  The reactor walls reverberated with ugly rasping laughter. 

            "She does not wish to satisfy you selfish grief!" snapped Chaos pointing an accusing finger, "She chose instead to serve me!" 

            "You mean Vincent!" said Tifa. 

            "Vincent sleeps in his nightmare," said Chaos, "And this time he will sleep forever!" 

            "Not if we stop you," said Rude cracking his knuckles.  Chaos chuckled darkly. 

            "Pandora, protect me," it ordered.  Pandora glowed green for an instant and a shower of green sparks swirled around Chaos.  The flesh on its lower arm healed up. 

            "Shit!" snarled Reno, "We're gonna have to take her out!" 

            "No!" barked Cloud, "You won't hurt her!" 

            "She's healing that thing you idiot!" yelled Reno.  Chaos folded its arms across its chest and waited for their undivided attention. 

            "Pandora, show us the Planet," commanded Chaos.  The walls of the reactor shimmered and they were overlaid with the images of outer space.  A giant blue and green ball slowly revolved under their feet. 

            "We're in outer space!" said Elena in wonderment. 

            "This is like Bugenhagen's observatory," said Tifa. 

            "Excellent suggestion!" roared Chaos, "Target Cosmo Canyon!"  The sphere around Pandora began to glow intensely white.  They heard a thunderous rumble far overhead and energy surged upward into the tunnels in the ceiling. 

            "The Sister Ray!" said Rude.  A beam a white hot light streaked down and struck the surface, creating a large explosion. 

            "Nanaki!" cried Tifa.  Cloud lunged at Chaos and ran it through the chest.  Chaos snarled and looked down, then grinned at him. 

            "You tried that before you fool," taunted the demon before flinging him into the wall.  It pulled the sword free as another swirl of green sparks surrounded it.  The wound on its chest closed up. 

            "Pandora, pick the next target at random," said Chaos gleefully, "Let's have some fun."

            Far above Neo-Midgar Cid had to bank the _Tiny Bronco_ hard to avoid the beam of energy streaking toward the surface. 

            "Holy crap!" he yelped, "What the hell's going on?" 

            "Those bastards are attacking the Planet!" roared Barrett furiously, "We've gotta stop them!" 

            "How?" asked Yuffie. 

            "I'm open to suggestions," replied Cid. 

            "How come we aint dead?" muttered Barrett, "We're in outer space and shit."

            "There's some invisible barrier around the city," said Yuffie nervously, "Don't fly too far away Jichan."

            "That's it!" shouted Cid, "Hold on!"  He looped the plane upside down; then he dove straight towards the Sister Ray.  He aimed straight for the muzzle. 

            "You crazy shithead!" growled Barrett, "Get me off this train!" 

            "Jichan, you're nuts!" screamed Yuffie.  Cid laughed cheerfully. 

            "Okay, when I count to three, you guys jump!" he instructed. 

            "One!" yelled Cid. 

Yuffie and Barrett leaped off the wings.

"Two!" shouted Cid as he glanced behind him.  He blinked incredulously at the empty wings and then looked forward again in time to see the _Tiny Bronco_ enter the muzzle of the Sister Ray.  Both wings were ripped off by the narrow walls.  The main fuselage continued to streak down the tunnels, the edges of the plane trailing showers of sparks. 

"You assholes!" he shouted as he cut his restraint harness with the tip of his spear.  He leapt free and barely avoided being struck by one of the struts of the plane as it streaked down the tunnel.  Cid rolled as he hit the ground and sat up gingerly. 

"I'm not dead," he said in amazement.  He heard a loud explosion from where the _Tiny Bronco_ had disappeared and saw a wall of fire heading towards him. 

"Shit!" he yelled as he scooped up his spear and ran the other way.  He could feel the unrelenting heat against his back as he ran full tilt.  Mentality he noted that he owed Shera another apology for trashing the plane.  He'd have to add it to the list.  A hatch dangled open in the wall and he dove into it headfirst.  Anywhere was safer than here. 

    The back of the Sister Ray exploded, sending flaming debris all over the city.  The barrel began to crumple and fell down in pieces.  Several pieces of metal rebounded off the Shinra tower.  Reeve impassively watched a piece of metal strike the window, starring it.  He bent down and picked up a chip of glass. 

"What have I done?" he muttered. 

"Mister President?" inquired Oswald, "What are your orders?"  Everyone watched him calmly return to his seat.  He rubbed the chip between his thumb and forefinger. 

"We'll leave it to them," he said, "They can save the Planet again." 

"You're just going to sit there?" said Elmyra.  Reeve looked at her sadly.

"My plans have failed again," he replied, "What else do you want?"  Elmyra stood up. 

"Fight your battles yourself!" she implored, "Stop leaving it to others!"  Reeve stared at her dubiously.  He slowly rose and pulled open a desk drawer.  Inside rested a golden megaphone with silver trim.  Wordlessly he crossed the room and left through the main doors. 

"Mister President?" asked Oswald. 

Reeve walked toward the elevator and noticed a familiar figure waiting for him. 

"About time you showed up," said Cait Sith as it lounged on top of the stuffed moogle.  Reeve stared at this creation of his, so lifelike that he wasn't sure if it thought for itself.  He placed a hand on the cat's head. 

"Thank you for everything," he said, "You can go now."  The cat blinked in surprise. 

"Don't you want me to handle it?" it asked.  Reeve shook his head and held up the megaphone. 

"It's my mess," he explained, "I'll clean it up."  He pushed the button on the wall and doors opened to the elevator. 

"You need me!" yelled Cait Sith, "You can't do this!" 

"I should have done this a long time ago," replied Reeve walking into the elevator. 

"You won't last ten minutes without me!" yelled the cat as the elevator doors closed on Reeve.  He mused over the last five years of his life as the elevator plunged deep underground.  He had sold his soul to this company, in the belief that he could make people's lives better.  President Shinra had taught him otherwise.  He was the only executive who had questioned the company's goals.  Now he had been given the chance to redeem himself and the company.   Of course, he had screwed that up as well.  His biggest mistake was involving Valentine in his plans.  He was too unpredictable, too chaotic a factor to be reliable.  The doors opened and he walked onto the catwalk surrounding Reactor Zero Prime.  Except now it was intensely glowing from within.  He threw the switch on his megaphone. 

"Chaos!" he shouted, "Come out and fight me!"  Inside the reactor Chaos frowned slightly. 

"What's that yapping fool doing down here?" it muttered. 

            "Mister President, it's not safe!" warned Elena. 

            "Screw this!" snarled Reno.  He leapt forward and jabbed Chaos with his electroshock rod.  Rude plunged a fist against the walls and sent a spark careening toward Chaos.  Tifa rebounded off the walls and plunged her fist into Chaos' stomach.  It roared in pain as Cloud jumped off and pulled Apocalypse free of its grip.  Chaos unfurled its wings and slashed all of them with the razor edges.  Pandora glowed red and a white breeze blew through and Chaos' wounds closed up. 

            "This is getting nowhere fast," said Elena as she loaded a round into her gun. 

            "We have to take out Pandora!" said Reno. 

            "We might kill her!" said Rude.  

            "She would prefer that to everyone else dying!" snapped Reno. 

            "Just keep fighting Chaos until we think of something!" ordered Cloud. 

            "Oh Cloud," said Tifa.  She knew that he was taking an enormous risk, but she would take it with him. 

            In the nightmare Vincent swayed slightly in the breeze as he dangled from the chain.  Below him the Hellmasker tittered as it fired up its chainsaw.  The Hades Gigas growled gutturally as it loomed over Lucrecia and Pandora. 

"This isn't good!" said Pandora.  

The Galian Beast lunged at the Hade Gigas and sank its jaws into its neck.  The giant roared and electricity danced off its body, frying the Galian Beast.  It dropped off with a whimper.  Pandora drew out a long staff and clobbered the Hades Gigas on the head.  Lucrecia wrapped her coils around the Hellmasker.  It shrieked and plunged the chainsaw into the scales of her tail.  Clear blood flowed out of her wounds, but she kept drawing the coils tighter. 

            "How dare you!" sneered Lucrecia indignantly. 

            "Lucrecia!" cried Pandora.  The Hades Gigas punched Pandora the face, sending her flying across the rocky soil.  It lumbered over to her but the Galian Beast leapt onto its back and began chomping on the bolt on its shoulder, pulling it out with its teeth.   The Hades Gigas pulled the beast away and held it in a crushing embrace.  Lucrecia now had the Hellmasker in a tight squeeze.  The monster let out a faint squeak and bones began to crunch and pop.  Lucrecia let the Hellmasker drop lifelessly to the ground then lashed the Hades Gigas with her tail.  It dropped the Galian Beast onto the ground with a grunt and turned to face her. 

            "Lucrecia, the bolts!" yelled Pandora.  Lucrecia smiled coldly and wrapped her tail around the loose bolt and pulled it out of the Hades Gigas' shoulder.  The monster roared with pain and Pandora glowed green.  A series of meteors came crashing down and struck the monster again and again.  Lucrecia grasped the bolt in the other shoulder with her hand and began pulling. The monster electrified its body and Lucrecia's body began to sizzle.  She grimaced triumphantly and pulled the other bolt free.  The Hades Gigas bellowed and fell to its knees.  Its powerful arms fell to its sides.  Lucrecia spit clear blood and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.  She dropped the bolt onto the ground.  She ran her hand along the mane of the Galian Beast which whined quietly. 

            "You did well," said Lucrecia, "Now sleep."  She looked up at Vincent. 

            "Lucrecia, you're hurt," began Pandora.  Lucrecia smiled at her indulgently. 

            "The pain in my heart is far worse my dear," she replied.  She began coiling up the chains that connected the lifeless monsters to Vincent.  She squeezed her coils tightly around Vincent's body as she wrapped her arms around his neck. 

            "How you suffered," she whispered tenderly, "Why did you do this?"

            "Because I love you," he said simply, "I did it all for you."  Below them Pandora began to cry morosely. 

            "That is so sweet of you," said Lucrecia with a faint smile as she put her claws to his face, "Help me find my little boy and I will be yours." 

            "Free me," said Vincent. 

            "Free yourself," she replied glancing up the chain that bound his metallic arm to the dark void above. 

            Inside the reactor Rude sniffed slightly. 

            "Something's burning," he said. 

            They warily turned to Chaos.  It stared back at them contemptuously. 

            "What?" it demanded.  Tifa pointed down slightly and Chaos glanced down to see its left arm start to glow. 

            "What the hell?" snarled the demon.  It screamed in pain as the flesh on its left hand caught on fire, burning away the flesh and muscle.  The flames subsided, revealing the sizzling surface of a metallic skeletal claw.  Chaos flexed the claws, which made a scraping noise. 

            "No!" roared Chaos, "Not now!" 

            "The Hand of Glory is the key," whispered Pandora.  Cloud and Tifa exchanged a wordless glance.  Elena drew out a second pistol as Rude and Reno rushed towards Chaos.  Rude punched it in the jaw as Reno shocked it in the chest with his electroshock rod.  Chaos stabbed Rude in the chest with its claws and kicked Reno in the face with its foot, shattering his sunglasses.  Tifa leapt over the tumbling Reno and landed on Chaos' shoulders.  She tightened her legs around its neck as she pulled its left arm above the demon's head. 

            "Cloud, do it!" she screamed.  Chaos bellowed and began slashing her across the back and face with its wings.  Red blood trickled down her back as she fell over sideways.  Chaos snarled as bullets struck it in the face and chest.  It swiveled in time to see Cloud plunging down from above, the Apocalypse gleaming in the white light.  Chaos drove its claws into Cloud's throat as he brought the blade down onto Chaos' metallic arm.  The Hand of Glory fell free and rattled noisily as it struck the walls of the reactor before finally coming to rest far below.  Chaos looked down at the stump of its arm then up at Cloud again.  Cloud tried to speak but only succeeded in gurgling as blood flowed out of his mouth.  But his smug look of satisfaction was unmistakable.  Tears began to streak down the demon's face. 

            "I don't want to sleep again," said Chaos mournfully, "I don't want to be alone again."  Chaos exploded in a shower of light, pummeling everyone against the walls of the reactor.  The walls began to crack and crumble and fall way.  Reeve gripped the guardrail of the catwalk and watched his dream die.  The reactor crumpled inward and then broke apart, like the shell of an egg.  The pieces began to fall back towards the earth.  The floodlights flickered and faded, plunging the chamber into the darkness.  Reeve glanced down to see the Planet rapidly approaching from below. 

            "How ironic," he murmured, "We are the second Meteor."

            Cloud felt rain on his face.  How long had it been since he had felt rain?  That mission to Neibelheim maybe.  It was strange that it tasted so salty.  He opened his eyes and saw an angel hovering over him in the darkness, dressed in a long pink dress, with her brown hair streaming behind her.  Her body was surrounded a white aura and her emerald eyes regarded him warmly and sadly.  Tears fell out of her eyes and hit his face.  He put his hand to his throat and found the wound was gone.

            "Cloud, I am so sorry," she said.  He reached out with his hand and touched her face gingerly. 

            "Aeris?" he asked trying not to choke up.  She nodded quietly. 

            "I knew my bodyguard would come for me," she said smiling bravely.

            "No!" said Cloud full of self-loathing, "I didn't make it time!"  She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held him close.

            "I chose that path," she said soothingly, "I knew what the risks were."

            "I should have been there with you!" he protested.

            "It was the only way," she said, "I am sorry that I put you through so much pain."

            "Aeris," said Cloud looking into her eyes, "It was worth it." 

            "I've been so selfish," she said, "I wanted so much to see you one more time." 

            "Stay with me," he implored.  She shook her head. 

            "We don't have much time Cloud," she replied.  Together they looked down to see the wasted brown plains of Midgar looming into view below. 

            "The city's falling!" exclaimed Cloud. 

            "Without the power of the Lifestream, they can't keep aloft," she explained. 

            "How can stop it?" he asked. 

            "I'll rejoin the Lifestream and pray that it can save the city," she said.  He caught her wrist. 

            "I'm not loosing you again!" he shouted.  Her eyes looked pleadingly into his. 

            "Let me go!" she exclaimed, "Please!"

             "It can't end like this!" he protested. 

            "If you love me, you'll let me go," she said.  As he slowly loosened his grip she smirked impishly.

            "I guess that's the closest you come to admitting how you feel," she said wistfully. 

            "Aeris, I need you," he said.  She leaned in close and kissed him gently on the lips. 

            "Not anymore", she said softly.  The white energy poured out of her and the girl fell unconscious in Cloud's arms. 

            The white energy spread out and covered the underside of Neo-Midgar.  It began to heat up as it reentered the atmosphere.  The whole city shook and reverberated as it streaked across the night sky like a comet.  It plunged back toward the enormous hole in the ground it had lifted itself free from.  As it got close it began to slow down.  The city fell slower and slower, until eventually it rested gently back into the pit.  The white energy streaked out across the plains in all directions, plants sprouting up in their wake. 

            Neo-Midgar had reached its final resting place.   


	12. Aftermath

Chapter 12

            Vincent was disappointed that he was still alive.  He opened his eyes and saw the tide crashing around his ankles.  Sand fell off his cape as he sat up and looked around.  A bright white beach stretched endlessly in either direction, surmounted by tall cliffs.  The Death Penalty was stuck barrel first into the sand near where his head had been, like a grave marker.  Absently he ran his hand along the stock and felt something burned into the grain: a snake swallowing its own tail. 

            "Lucrecia," he muttered.  He pulled the gun free and walked up a winding path toward the cliffs.  A light breeze blew his empty left sleeve around.  When he reached the top of the plains it took a moment for his sensitive eyes to adjust to the glare.  Neo-Midgar sat smoldering in the center of the plains like a spent funeral pyre.  Even at this distance, he could make out long lines of people and vehicles slowly streaming out of the city in all directions, like ants abandoning their anthill.  How appropriate, he thought.  He caught sight of a faint red figure sitting on a rock outcropping overlooking the city.  As Vincent got closer he could see that it was Nanaki.  He immediately felt a stab of guilt. 

            "Are you back among the living?" asked the large cat without looking around.  Vincent fell onto one knee. 

            "Forgive me," he whispered.  Nanaki turned to gaze at him, showing a mixture of pain and curiosity.

            "You remember what Chaos did?" he inquired.  Vincent nodded. 

            "We are part of each other," he replied bitterly, "And now I have yet another crime to atone."  Nanaki shook his head. 

            "When Neo-Midgar started to rise, I ordered everyone to hide in the caves," said the big cat.

            "But the village," protested Vincent. 

            "It was leveled," said Nanaki, "But it can be rebuilt."

            "What should I do?" asked Vincent quietly.  Nanaki sighed slightly.  How embarrassing it must be to have the darkness in your soul exposed for the world to see. 

            "Take care of your problems," suggested Nanaki, "And let go of everything else."  They stared at the city in silence together. 

            "Lucrecia came to me in my nightmare," began Vincent quietly, "She wanted to see her son."

            "And is that your problem?" asked the cat.  Vincent nodded slowly.

            "I was willing to do anything to free her," he explained, "Now I must face the consequences." 

            "Is she part of the Lifestream?" asked Nanaki. 

            "That was my intention," replied Vincent, "But she could be anywhere."  He brandished the Death Penalty and Nanaki inspected the serpent on the stock. 

            "An Urobolus," he said. 

            "Eternity imprisoned in an endless circle," elaborated Vincent. 

            "Are you going to look for her?" asked Nanaki, more as a formality than anything else. 

            "I cannot rest until I see her again," he stated, "But there is something I must take care of first."

            A white helicopter took off from the landing ramp of the Shinra building and veered off toward Sector 5.  Reeve peered out the window down at the devastated city below with the streaming masses of people abandoning their homes.  He closed his eyes and sighed. 

            "You alright Mister President?" asked Elena who was sitting next to him, her face creased with worry. 

            "I'm fine," he lied.  How could he explain to them that his dream was dead?  No, only Elmyra Gainsborough would understand. 

            "I don't get it," groused Reno as he rubbed the bandage around his forehead, "How come I always get hit in the face?" 

            "You're just lucky that way," said Rude with a hint of a smirk.  Reno sneered and fished out a cigarette. 

            "How's the ribs?" asked Elena.

            "Itches like crazy," replied Rude, trying not to scratch.  Reno lit his cigarette and blew the smoke out his nostrils.  They stared out the windows in silence for a long time. 

            "You guys did a good job," said Reeve abruptly.  The Turks turned to stare at him. 

            "But we failed almost everything you assigned us to do," protested Elena. 

            "You did your best," said Reeve as he folded his arms, "I'm still proud of you."  The Turks warily gazed at each other, wondering yet again if their President was truly certifiable. 

            The helicopter came to a landing in front of Elmyra's house.  Elena slid open the door and Reeve got out, followed by Reno and Rude.  Elmyra opened the front door before they even reached it. 

            "Wipe your feet before coming in," she said.  Reeve did so and the Turks followed suit.  She led them inside to the living room.  She gestured for them to sit on the couch and chairs.  Reeve took a chair and Rude sat on the couch next to Elmyra.  Elena and Reno remained standing, feeling a little out of place. 

            "Would you like some tea?" she asked. 

            "No thank you," said Reeve, "You know why we're here." 

            "You want to take her away again?" asked Elmyra sadly.  Rude clenched his hands into fists as he fumed silently. 

            "No, but we do want to know if she's alright," explained Reeve. 

            "Cloud brought her home," said Elmyra, "She wouldn't say anything about what happened." 

            "Where is she now?" asked Elena. 

            "She's up in her room," she replied, "She won't come out." 

            "I'm glad she made it," said Reeve, "But I came here for a different reason."  Elmyra merely stared at him expectantly.  He cleared his throat. 

            "Shinra Incorporated apologizes for any inconvenience or suffering imposed on you or loved ones due to its short sighted policies," he stated, "The Company will reimburse you for whatever damages you feel are appropriate." 

            "Is that how you feel?" she asked. 

            "I just stated Shinra's position," said Reeve uncertainly. 

            "I know, but how do you feel about it?" she insisted.  Reeve tried to put into words the incredible conflict he felt, idealism mixed with greed and fear.  He knew nothing he could say to this woman could make things right again. 

            "I'm just…sorry," he said in defeat.  Elmyra reached over and squeezed his hand.  Reeve looked up in shock. 

            "I've been waiting for an apology from your Company for a long time," she said carefully, "But right now your apology meant more to me." 

            "How can you forgive me?" he asked forlornly.  She shook her head. 

            "I don't want to," she replied, "But I know Aeris wouldn't want me to hold any grudges." 

            "She'd even forgive Sephiroth," said Elena bitterly.  Elmyra smiled to her sadly. 

            "I'm sure she did," she said, "She would say he was acting true to his nature."  An awkward silence fell over the group.  Reno peered up the stairs curiously but didn't move from his spot.  There was a polite knock at the door.  Reeve gently pulled his hand away.  Elmyra stood up and opened the door.  Vincent stood on the threshold, looking lost. 

            "We've been waiting for you," she said, "Go up to her." 

            "We're just leaving," said Reeve suddenly as he stood up.  Vincent stood to one side as they filed past him. 

"How's the arm?" asked Reno.  Vincent met his defiant gaze calmly. 

"Never better," he replied.  Rude paused in front of Elmyra. 

"You should…wear your hair down more," he said hesitantly.  She pulled the string out of her hair and unwound the topknot so her hair fell down. 

"Better?" she asked pleasantly.  Rude rubbed his neck nervously. 

"Yeah…see ya," he said bashfully as he hurried out to the helicopter.  Elmyra giggled behind her hand. 

"They're not bad people," said Vincent, "Although they prefer to be seen that way." 

"Do you prefer to be seen that way?" she asked.  Vincent looked at a loss of what to say. 

"I am a weak evil man," he said quietly.  Elmyra sighed wearily.  She was getting tired of martyrs. 

"Go up to her," she stated firmly, "You're the only one she'll talk to." 

"She is my responsibility," he said.  He placed the Death Penalty in the corner of the room and ascended the stairs.  He paused in front of her door, not sure how to begin.  He rapped on the door lightly. 

"Please leave me alone!" sobbed a voice. 

"Pandora, it's Vincent," he said.  He heard her footsteps echoing across the floorboards, heading his way. 

"Vincent, you're alright!" she said from just the other side of the door.  He placed his hand on the door, caressing the grain. 

"I woke up alone on the beach," he said, "The Hand of Glory was gone." 

"Oh no," she said, "Does it hurt?"

"Only a little," he replied, "But I'm glad to be rid of it." 

"What happened to Chaos?" she asked.  Vincent sighed and leaned against the doorframe. 

"He still lives within me, but his voice has grown faint," he said solemnly.  For a long time he heard nothing.  Slowly the door unlocked and swung open.  Pandora stood there, her hair disheveled and her eyes red. 

"Come in," she said.  The room beyond was very simple. The only furniture was bed and a chest of drawers against one wall.  He vaguely recalled the room from years ago.  Elmyra had obviously kept this room the same as when Aeris had used it.  Pandora sat on the bed. 

"I met Lucrecia," she said hesitantly, "She was scary."  Vincent stared at her intently. 

"Where?" he demanded. 

"She said it was in your nightmare," she replied, "We had to fight your rages."  Vincent walked over to a flower in a vase and began pulling of dead leaves. 

"What did it look like?" he asked. 

"It was a cave underground," she began, "No, it started in a mansion in a mountain town."

"Neibelheim!" exclaimed Vincent.  She nodded absently. 

"Yes, that was what it was called," she said.

"You must have been in the Lifestream," he said, "My past and sins."  Pandora looked at the far wall morosely. 

"You're going to look for her aren't you?" she asked flatly.  He turned to look at her. 

"I have to," he stated, "I was responsible for what happened to her."  Pandora looked up at him. 

            "Before or after you were put in the coffin?" she inquired sadly.  Vincent couldn't bring himself to answer that.  Pandora took his hand clung to it desperately. 

            "She wants her son back," she said, "The one who murdered Aeris." 

            "You want to stop her?" he asked. 

            "Is she going to do to him what you did to me?" she asked plaintively.  He hung his head in shame. 

            "Yes, I think so," he replied.  Pandora kissed his hand. 

            "I'm glad I met you Vincent," she explained, "But I do not want anyone else to endure what I had to."  Vincent pulled his hand free and used it to pull her into an embrace.  He kissed her forehead. 

            "I am so sorry that you had to pay for my sins," he said.  She shook her head. 

            "I don't mind," she said, "Just let me go with you."  Vincent gritted his teeth. 

            "I cannot," he stated, "Your friends need you."

            "They think I'm Aeris," she protested. 

            "You have her spirit," he said, "But you grew with different experiences." 

            "Aeris came into me while I had Holy," she elaborated, "I remember some of her life now." 

            "But it feels like someone else's life," he guessed. 

            "It was someone else's life," corrected Pandora, "And I don't want to be a ghost haunting other people's lives." 

            "My best friends are ghosts," said Vincent reflectively. 

            "Please take me with you," she pleaded.  He pushed her gently away. 

            "I have to do this alone," he explained, "I've put you through enough."  He looked at her longingly and then crossed to the door.  Pandora fell facedown onto the bed and buried her face in a pillow.

            Vincent almost made it to the door.  Elmyra spoke as he reached for the Death Penalty. 

            "You not leaving her are you?" she asked.  He turned to her with a brooding expression. 

            "She has grown in my shadow for too long," he replied, "She needs to bask in sunlight."  Elmyra put her hands on her hips. 

            "That's a fine way to talk about your own daughter," she huffed.  Vincent frowned at her. 

            "I don't understand," he said. 

            "You gave her life," she retorted, "And you said she was your responsibility." 

            "But you're her mother," he said.  She considered that.  Pandora was so much like Aeris yet so different. 

            "She's not Aeris," she stated carefully, "But she is my daughter." 

            "Then take good care of her," he stated as he opened the door. 

            "She loves you," said Elmyra.  That stopped him dead in his tracks. 

            "I can't see why," he said sadly.  Elmyra smiled. 

            "You the only one who accepts her for herself," she explained, "Everyone looks at her and sees Aeris."  Vincent looked to her apologetically and walked through the door.  He climbed onto a black chocobo and rode off toward the horizon.  Lucrecia was waiting for him.

            Aboard the _Highwind_, Cid lit a cigarette. 

            "Where to kiddies?" he asked. 

            "North Corel," rumbled Barrett.

            "Drop me off at Wutai," suggested Yuffie. 

            "Costa del Sol," said Cloud.  Everyone turned to him questioningly, including Tifa. 

            "Why there?" she asked.  He offered an apologetic grin. 

            "You said you needed a vacation," he explained.  She nodded with a smirk. 

            "We'll go there first," muttered Cid wearily, "I'm running a goddamned taxi service."  Tifa watched Cloud leave the bridge and quickly followed.  She saw him enter the meeting room.  Inside Cloud stood facing the wall contemplatively.  She approached him gingerly. 

            "You're thinking about her aren't you," she said.  He nodded. 

            "I got to see her again for all of two minutes," he said sadly, "She got to meet the real me."  Tifa sniffled slightly. 

            "That must have felt so cruel," she said.  He stared at her intently. 

            "It did at the time," he said, "But the Planet needs her and I can't compete with that."  Tifa felt stranded.  Could she believe him?

            "But you lost her again," she pointed out.  He reached out for her shoulders and pulled her to him.  She clutched his arms.

            "I have you Tifa," he said his voice trembling, "And I never loved you in the way you deserved."  Tifa cried and rested her head against his chest. 

            "I just want you to be happy," she said.  She looked up at him searchingly.  He leaned down and kissed her gently. 

            "I am happy," he whispered, "But can you put up with me?"  She jabbed him under the chin with her knuckles and smiled playfully. 

            "Cloud you're such a doofus sometimes," she stated, "But that's what I love about you."  Cloud was trying to think of a suitable response when she kissed him on the cheek. 

            "I'll always be there," she said, "Always."  They clung tightly to each other as the _Highwind_ sped off into the dusk. 

            The next morning Reno walked up to Reeve's office.  Rude and Elena were already waiting. 

            "You're late," said Elena. 

            "Who cares?" retorted Reno sourly, "We're getting canned anyways." 

            "Bet you ten Gil we won't," said Rude gruffly.

            "Shut up, both of you," groused Elena.  The doors swung open in front of them.  Reeve sat in front of his desk with his hands folded.  His eyes were closed as if he was meditating. 

            "How is the evacuation proceeding?" he asked after an uncomfortable silence. 

            "Nearly complete," said Elena, "Most are being relocated to Kalm and Junon."

            "We're going to have to begin with layoffs," said Reeve. 

            "So we're fired?" asked Reno.  Reeve opened his eyes. 

            "Goodness no," he replied pleasantly, "In fact I have a new assignment for you."

            "What is it?" asked Rude.  Reeve leaned forward. 

            "Lucrecia plans to revive Sephiroth," he explained, "Find her and stop her." 

            "What about Vincent?" asked Elena. 

            "Try to cooperate with him," he replied, "But he may have to be dealt with as well." 

            "Sounds like a big job," said Rude. 

            "I'm assigning extra help," he said as he pressed the buzzer on his desk.  The doors swung open again and a young woman walked in dressed in a dark suit and tie.  Her hair was cut shoulder length and she wore dark sunglasses.  In her hand was a long black metallic staff.  The Turks blinked in amazement when they realized it was Pandora. 

            "Hi guys," she said cheerfully as she took off her glasses, "I'll try not to get in the way."

            "You're joining the Turks?" asked Rude.  She nodded. 

            "Well on the condition that you guys help me find Vincent," she explained. 

            "What happens if we find him?" asked Reno. 

            "I want to save him from himself," she replied nervously, "So is that okay?" 

            The Turks stared at each other questioningly.  Reno began to grin fiercely and laughed manically.  He flipped a ten Gil piece to Rude who began to chuckle quietly.  They laughed together and began punching each other on the shoulder.  Elena folded her arms across her chest and sighed wearily. 

            "Welcome to the Turks rookie," she said.  


End file.
